A Time to Love
by Revengest
Summary: What is Nanoha to do when the one she loves might not feel the same way? And just when she decides it's time to confess, her love interest disappears. When she comes back she has changed and brings another blue eyed brunette with her. What will Nanoha do?
1. What Happened to Fate?

**A Time to Love**

_By: Revengest_

Summary: What is Nanoha to do when the one she loves might not feel the same way? And just when she decides it's time to confess, Nanoha's love interest disappears. When she comes back she has changed and brings another blue eyed brunette with her. What will Nanoha do?

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

"_Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**Chapter 1: What Happened To Fate?**

3...2...1...*ring*It was the start of the summer vacation and Nanoha couldn't be happier. It meant more time to spend with family, friends, and Fate-chan.

The young brunette was unaware of when exactly it had happened, but she had started taking an interest in her best friend. Maybe it was the way she smiled, or her flowing blonde hair, or how she always succeeded in anything she put her mind to. Maybe it was everything. Well, whatever it was Nanoha didn't care. All she knew was that she had feelings for Fate-chan. Feelings that she'd wanted to say for a while now, but she couldn't. The brunette was worried that the blonde only saw her as a friend, nothing more. She didn't want to ruin the friendship she had with Fate. So the girl had held back her feelings.

"Ne, ne. We should go get a parfait to celebrate." Arisa suggested.

"Mm. I'm fine with that." Suzuka replied.

* * *

**A few days later at Midori-ya cafe...**

"Hey, Fate. There's a festival coming to town for the next 4 days. They're starting it off with a parade tomorrow and I was wondering if you'd come with me."

"Sure, Nanoha, I'd love to go." Fate replied with a gentle smile that seemed to glow. The brunette quickly looked away to hide the deep blush that adorned her face. After a moment, Nanoha looked back said, "So it's a promise!" "Yup, promise."It was then that a phone started to ring. It was Fate's. Taking it out of her pocket, she answered.

"Hello...Yes?...Now? But, I wouldn't do that...Okay, I'm coming." Fate sighed closing her phone and gazed over at Nanoha. There was a look on the blonde's face that Nanoha could not quite understand. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I'll see you later, Nanoha." And with that the blonde left the quiet cafe.

**Morning...**

It was 7:00 in the morning and the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. None the less, a giddy brunette was dancing around her room deciding what to wear for the parade. The parade was scheduled to start for 11:00, but there was so much to do before then. Like picking out what to wear, what to make for a bento and deciding which dessert parlor to go to, and of course what to say for her confession. Yes, Nanoha had chosen today to tell Fate her feelings. "It'll be right after the parade and outing, on the bridge in the nearby park with all types flowers showing their true colors, and the setting sun behind us." The brunette said dreamily.

**Later that morning...**

Nanoha had decided on a light turquoise colored shirt with a knitting pattern going on the left. On top, she had a white jacket with different colored square boxes intersecting each other with buttons going down the middle. Dark blue, almost black pants, covered her legs and a pair of sneakers completed the look. She had her hair put up in her famous sideways pony tail. Nanoha had packed a bento that was stylized after a bear. Taking a deep breath, Nanoha stepped out of her house and made her way to the meeting spot. The same spot she was planning on confessing at. She smiled excitedly waiting for her lover to arrive.

It was 1:00 and there was still no sign of Fate. Nanoha frantically checked her cell for any messages. There was none. Not even a missed call. Miserably, Nanoha made the decision of going home.

**Next day...**

Nanoha waited at the same bridge as yesterday. "Maybe Fate was busy and forgot to call to cancel." Nanoha told herself hopefully. Hours went by and still the blonde known as Fate did not show up. This continued for the duration of the festival. Nanoha decided to call Fate. *ring...ring...ring...ring...*. No response. Nanoha got up and readied herself to go out.

She arrived at Fate's house and just stood there. Nanoha was extremely concerned about this. She wondered what had happened to Fate.

Stepping up to the door, she pressed the doorbell. Fate's mother, Precia Testarossa, opened the door. "Oh hello, Nanoha. Is there something I can do for you?"

"I was wondering if you knew where Fate-chan is."

"Fate? Isn't she with you? She's been going out with some friends since...5 days ago I think.I thought those friends were you."

"Oh I see..." Nanoha was downhearted. _Fate forgot about me, because of some other friends..._ Nanoha swiftly left, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. _Fate._

The brunette was never able to contact the blonde for the rest of the summer.

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It was a gorgeous day outside with sunlight filtering through many windows and blinds. It seemed like a very peaceful day. It was a day where the world was completely at rest and everyone was saying *ahh*. Even a high school brunette.

**Nanoha's POV**

"AAAHHH! I'm gonna be late."I immediately shot out of my bed and rushed out of my room quickly grabbing my towel and toothbrush. I dashed down the hall and slammed open the bathroom door and quickly closed it and locked it. Jumping into the shower, I did a few 360s and swiftly lathered myself. Finishing that, I stood there for a few seconds letting the hot water cascade down and take away my drowsiness. The feeling reminded me of her. Snapping back to reality, I realized I didn't have time for reminiscing. It was the first day of school and I, Nanoha Takamachi, was running late. I had set my clock half an hour late (don't ask me how). I quickly toweled myself dry and ran back down the hallway to my room. Scavenging my room, I found some underwear, socks, and my high school uniform hanging neatly on the closet. Throwing it on, I reached for my bag and sped down the stairs. Reaching the main floor, I saw my mother, Momoko Takamachi, already done preparing breakfast and was currently plating it.

"I see you finally decided to join us." My sister Miyuki joked.

"Why didn't anyone wake me up! School starts in half an hour and I still don't know what class I'm in." I yelled grabbing a pancake from a plate and chugging some juice down with it. I didn't waste a second in the front room slipping on my shoes. With that done, I quickly checked myself, and then left the house at light jog.

Jogging down the street I thought to myself. _I can't believe school's here again. I hope I'm in the same class as all my friends. Arisa, Suzuka, and...Fate..._

_I wonder what happened to Fate-chan. I hope she's alright._ Coming back to reality, Nanoha realized she was at the school's gate.

TSAB High School was regarded as a top rated school. I took a moment to look the school over. It was one big building With 3 stories and many windows. Turning to her left she saw the tennis court, track and field , and the swimming pool. She saw another building. It was smaller than the main building, but big none the less. I'm guessing it had all the indoor courts.

**Normal POV**

Looking around Nanoha, noticed the large group of people crowding around one spot. "The class lists must be over there. Swiftly, Nanoha made her way over to the big group and attempted entry. She threw herself in. Moments later she was shoved back out. "looks like I'm going to need more force. Standing up, Nanoha wedge herself in and pushed her way in. After what seemed like hours of being squeezed and jostles around, Nanoha was able to make her way to the front.

Scanning the lists she came across Arisa's name in class 1-D. Going down the list, she saw her name. Continuing her search she saw 'Fate Testarossa' right under her name. _Yes_. She thought to herself. _Now for sure I'll have a chance to talk about what happened._ She also found Suzuka's name in the same class. Nanoha was very excited that they were all in the same class again.

"Yo, Fate!" Nanoha perked up at the name that was being called. "Fate's here?" Nanoha asked herself. She immediately turned around and made her way out of the mosh pit like crowd and followed where she had heard the voice. There was only one thing on her mind: Fate. Once out of the crowd she sought out her best friend. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw it. Blonde almost glowing blonde tresses. Her smile threatening to fall off her face, she swiveled around and ran after the blonde.

"Fate-chan!" She yelled. Once she reached the blonde, she was panting lightly and hands on her knees looking at the ground catching the breath she had lost. "Fate I've missed you over the summer." She decided to leave at that for now. Nanoha was going to ask in more depth later. She chose rather to talk about something else. "Guess what. We're in the same class again. Fate must want us to be together huh." Nanoha laughs at the double meaning of her friends name. Looking up, the brunette notice Fate isn't facing her. "Fate-chan?" she asked confused.

Nanoha hears an exasperated sigh coming from Fate. Slowly Fate turns around and gazes (or was that a glare) at Nanoha. "What?" She says annoyed. Nanoha is taken back at the response she received from Fate. She was much more accustomed to a more gentle and kind response from the blonde. Something more along the lines of "What, _Nanoha_?" with a sweet tone to it. Pure interest in what the brunette was going to say. Not wishing she was elsewhere.

It was after the shock that Nanoha noticed something else about Fate. The TSAB uniform for girls was a white undershirt with buttons. On top of that was an earthy brown vest that also had buttons. On top of that was a beige colored blazer with pockets on the side. Then a red ribbon was put underneath the collar of the white shirt and tied to make a bow.

While Fate it in a different way. She had the undershirt. She put the vest on but only had the first two or so buttons buttoned. The rest of the vest was left open. The blazer left open as well. The red ribbon was left dangling around Fate neck. On one ear there was a small earring, and on her face there was a little white band-aid on her cheek.

Nanoha was unprepared for this. She was Fate would always button up her school uniform and make sure everything was worn properly. And the earring only on one ear? _Fate has changed a lot over the summer._

While Nanoha was openly staring, one of Fate's friends, the ones she was hanging with before Nanoha came, called her over. "I'm coming!" Fate shouted back. The blonde then turns to the brunette. "If you're done, I'll be leaving now." She then turns to leave, but Nanoha grabs her arm.

"Where were you over the summer? You didn't show up for the festival. I was worried." Nanoha looked into deep burgundy eyes. Nanoha thought she saw a flicker in the blonde's eye. Anger or sadness. The brunette couldn't quite tell. Fate opens her mouth to responds, but gets interrupted when a girl latches on to Fate's other arm.

Nanoha glanced over at the new arrival and observed the girl. The new girl had brown hair and blue eyes just like her. There were two yellow clips in her hair to the left. There was also a red string that bound a few hairs together on the same side.

"Fate, I've been looking all over for you. You promised we'd meet at the entrance gate. Promise. That word brought back memories for Nanoha. Fate had promised to meet her for the festival.

"Sorry I got side tracked." Fate responded with a gentle smile towards the girl. _Sorry! She hasn't apologized to me yet!_

"Just a sorry isn't enough. Your punishment is eating lunch with me."

Fate laugh and says, "That doesn't sound like a punishment, more like an honour."

The girl lets out a soft giggle. "Come on Fate. We're going to be late and I want you to take me to our classroom." She pulls Fate towards the school's main building. "It'd be my pleasure." Fate responds.

The girl and Fate walk away leaving a sad, dumbfound, and confused Nanoha behind.

_"Fate-chan..."_

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**AN: I hope you liked it. This is just my second fic so any constructive criticism would be very appreciated. Thanks**

**BTW: I don't know if I described it well, but Fate is supposed to look more rebelish. If you know what I mean. **


	2. Who's the New Girl?

**A Time to Love**

_By: Revengest_

Summary: What is Nanoha to do when the one she loves might not feel the same way? And just when she decides it's time to confess, Nanoha's love interest disappears. When she comes back she has changed and brings another blue eyed brunette with her. What will Nanoha do?

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

"_Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**Thanks to all who have reviewed so far: Semi7913, Honulicious, Tsuchiyasa, Ragnarok, Shlabadak, Shadow Strabi-star22, Aka Chibi-chan.**

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**Chapter 2: Who's the New Girl?**

Two girls of average height are making their way to their classroom. One had blonde hair and the other had purple. As the two friends were chatting away they came across another one of their links. They quickly make their way over and came face to face with Nanoha just standing there. "What's wrong?" Suzuka, one of the girls asks.

"I saw Fate-chan... She's different. She's changed... And she's found some new friends and someone..." Nanoha chokes on her words. "...Someone else."

"You should get over it. I mean she ditches you and ignores you over the summer. Some friend she is." Arisa practically yells. Arisa wasn't very happy with what Fate had done to Nanoha over the summer.

Suzuka calmly talks to Arisa. "Try to be more considerate Arisa. Nanoha is really good friends with Fate. It hurts to lose a loved one to someone else."

Arisa and Suzuka had visited Nanoha over the break and the two noticed something was up with Nanoha. After a couple minutes of prodding, Nanoha had caved and told them what had happened. In her explanation, her feelings about Fate had slipped. Suzuka and Arisa were alright with it though and supported it.

"I know, but I don't think I could bear Fate-chan treating me like this." Nanoha explained down casted.

*ring* the warning bell rung and the trio started to make their way to class 1-D. As the group walked to the class, they all were thinking about Fate. The two known as Suzuka and Arisa were wondering how Fate had changed as they had not seen Fate yet. Nanoha on the other hand was wishing this was a dream, April Fool's Day, or some big joke.

Reaching the class, they slid open the door and were welcomed with lots of noise. They made their way over to an open spot in the classroom. The brunette stole a quick glance to where Fate was. Fate was currently sitting on a desk kicking her feet while conversing with her new friends and the new girl. Unconsciously, a fierce glare had formed on Nanoha's face. The look seemed to go unnoticed till Suzuka turned around. The stare on Nanoha's Face was so intense, that it caused the slightly aggressive girl to take a defensive step back.

"Whoa, Nanoha. I think you need to change that look. It looks like your about to murder someone."

"What?" Nanoha asked. The glare had disappeared and the brunette hadn't even noticed it was there.

At that moment, the teacher walked in. The teacher had short blonde hair and was wearing a green suit like uniform.

"Welcome all of you to your first year of TSAB High School. My name is Shamal and I hope you enjoy your first year to the fullest." She finished by writing her name on the board. "I'm going to put you in alphabetical order, so I can learn your names."

With that she took out a class list and started calling out names as she went up and down the rows. "Nanoha Takamachi." Shamal called pointing to a desk that was 1 row off of center. Nanoha walked away from where she was standing and made her over to her recently assigned seat.

"Fate Testarossa." Nanoha couldn't contain her excitement. She was able to sit right in front of the girl that made her heart beat faster. Not only that, but they were close enough to talk to each other easily. Fate jumped off the desk she was sitting on and casually strolled over to her desk and plopped herself down. The teacher continued to assign seats according to last name. "Hayate Yagami."

_You're kidding me._ Nanoha thought her mouth hanging open, almost touching her desk. The new girl, now dubbed Hayate, made her way over to her desk right next to Fate horizontally. Fate turned and gave a small smile and wave to the girl beside her. Hayate turned red and waved back. _Did she just blush? There is no way I'm letting her get close to my Fate-chan that way._ Nanoha thought to herself another glare forming on her face.

"Okay, now that that is over, I'll hand out your timetable. You all have core subjects together. You have gym as a class but other classes have it at the same time too. The only thing that's different is your options. Your options are usually a mix of other classes of the same grade." Shamal-sensei handed out each person's timetable. It was in alphabetical order so it didn't take long.

Nanoha could hear Fate and Hayate comparing options. The pair behind the blue eyed brunette smiled, then frowned then smiled again. It seemed not all of their options were the exact same.

"We'll be picking a class president and vice president next week. I'm hoping by then you'll have a good idea of people's personality and who'll be the best to represent your class." Shamal-sensei then handed out forms and papers about the school and such. After that the class was allowed to converse and move freely about the classroom till the bell rang.

Nanoha stood up and moved over to Fate's desk. Fate looked up and that look returned to her face. The one she had shown that morning. "Yes?" Fate asked impatiently.

"I was wondering what options you have." Nanoha stated weakly, slightly intimidated by Fate. She never thought she could feel that way about Fate. The brunette did not miss the gaze from Hayate's direction. Hayate was looking her up and down. Sizing her up as if she was about to play some sort of aggressive sport against Nanoha.

"I don't know." Fate instantly replied and stood up from her desk walking back over to her friends. Nanoha was downhearted as she watched Fate walk away. She too turned to leave missing the smirk on Hayate's face.

**Lunch time**

"Would you look at that, Arisa, we both have the same options." Suzuka pointed out. "What about you Nanoha? What do you have?"

Currently, the one being asked the question was gazing off at a certain someone with chopsticks lazily being held in her hand and mouth. "I wish Fate were here." The girl mumbles.

Arisa rolls her eyes. "Since you won't give up, just march up to her and say 'what is wrong with?'"

"But…I don't want her to hate me more." Nanoha replied sadly.

Suzuka adds, "I agree with Arisa, but maybe a calmer approach would help more."

"Okay, I'll try."

**School Time**

The last period of the day was here and no one could've be happier. Inwardly, everyone was secretly cheering for the first day of school to be over and done with. One blue eyed girl was just hoping for this class specifically to be over. After all, it had Hayate in it. It was one thing to be in the same class as Hayate, but another thing to be partnered up with her. On the other hand though, Hayate wasn't in option class with Fate. This meant less time for the two to get closer. Which of course was a plus for Nanoha.

The two were currently in art class doing a small project since it was only the first day. The assignment was to draw a portrait of someone, but you were only allowed to look at the person, not the paper. The brunette was currently glancing at the 'Fate Stealer' staring her up and down

"_What does she have that I don't?" _Nanoha questioned herself as she started to draw her partner. As she was looking at Hayate's face, she realized Hayate was staring at her as well. She had on a scrutinizing gaze on her face. Nanoha decided to look back just as hard. Then a thought came to her. _"Could she be doing what I was just doing? I don't see why she would be doing that considering I'm not much competition when Fate-chan detests me... Or maybe I am competition."_ Nanoha got excited about her meant she still had a chance.

She looked down at her completed portrait, and couldn't help but laugh. It looked absolutely nothing like Hayate. More like a man with a cross between a bored look and a smirk on his face. Lucky for her, this didn't need to be handed in.

**After School**

Nanoha was at her shoe locker putting on her shoes when she heard a bunch of laughter. Looking up she saw Fate, Hayate and some of their friends walking by. She couldn't help but release a sigh of bliss seeing that heavenly smile on Fate's face._ "No! I can't give up! I won't give! What Hayate was doing in class only confirms I still have an opportunity no matter how small it is."_

**A week later**

A week had gone by and still no change in Fate's behaviour towards Nanoha. It seemed Fate got along with everyone but Nanoha. She was still being kind to Arisa and Suzuka. It was something that puzzled the trio to no end.

"We are going to pick the president and vice-president of our class today." Shamal-sensei announced. "Are there any nominations?"

A boy put up his hand. "I nominate Hayate. She's happy and kind to everyone and I think she is more than capable of being the president." Hayate shyly agreed to be a nominee.

Shamal-sensei wrote Hayate's name on the board. "Any other nominations?"

Another hand went up. "Nanoha Takamchi." Said brunette's head shot up in surprise. Not at the fact that she had been chosen. She had a few of friends in the class that might have chosen her, so that was definitely not it. She was shocked because of who had said it.

"She's really determined and keeps trying no matter what happens or stands in her way." Fate concluded. There was a noticeable silence in the room. It was no mystery to anyone in the class that Fate disliked Nanoha. It amazed everyone that Fate nominated someone instead of voting for Hayate. The class turned their heads to face Nanoha wondering what her decision would be.

"O-Okay." Was the weak reply from the brunette._ "I have to accept. After all Fate nominating me means she has faith that I'll do a good job. It also means the scale is now tipping in my favour rather than Hayate's" _Nanoha smiled gleefully at that last fact.

Hayate questioningly looked over at Fate, also curious as to why she had done that. Fate made a gesture with her hand causing Hayate to move closer. The blonde then whispered something in the others ear. After a moment the brunette then withdrew her head and nodded slowly.

"Okay if there aren't any further nominations, then let's vote." Shamal stated. "Nanoha Takamachi." A small group of hands went up. The group included Arisa, Suzuka, Fate and a few others. "Hayate Yagami." A noticeably larger group of hands went up. "Then it's settled Hayate will be the president and Nanoha will be Vice-president. There will be a meeting at lunch for you two. So bring your lunches. It'll probably only take about 10min." *ring* everybody stood up immediately and headed to their classes.

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**AN: Here's the next chapter Hope you enjoy it. Thanks for all the reviews.**


	3. Fate is Doing What?

**A Time to Love**

_By: Revengest_

Summary: What is Nanoha to do when the one she loves might not feel the same way? And just when she decides it's time to confess, Nanoha's love interest disappears. When she comes back she has changed and brings another blue eyed brunette with her. What will Nanoha do?

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

"_Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**Chapter 3: Fate is doing what?**

**Lunch Time**

It was 15 minutes after the lunch bell had rung and the hallways were immediately filled. The whole school was consumed by high school students chatting, shouting, eating and just having fun.

**Hayate POV**

I was making my way with Nanoha down the crowded hallway to the class rep meeting. While I was walking I kept glancing at Nanoha trying to figure out why exactly Fate had said what she said to me.

_**Flashback**_

_"Nanoha Takamchi. She's really determined and keeps trying no matter what happens or stands in her way." Fate concluded. There was a noticeable silence in the room. It was no mystery to anyone (including me) in the class that Fate disliked Nanoha. I think it surprised everyone that Fate nominated someone else instead of voting for me. The class turned their heads to face Nanoha wondering what her decision would be."O-Okay."Nanoha responded. _

_ I then looked over at Fate questionably hoping to find the answer to the blonde's decision. She made a gesture which I responded by moving my head forward. Fate whispered to me "I want you to watch Nanoha. Could you do that for me?" I withdrew my head and nodded slowly. I was thinking of asking why Fate wanted me to watch Nanoha, but I figured she'd tell me eventually._

**Lunch Time-15 minutes later**

The class representatives meeting had ended. The meeting wasn't anything spectacular. Just information on how you are to be model students and make decisions that would benefit your whole class and not just individuals.

"Let's do a good job together as Pres. and VP, okay." I extended my hand out to Nanoha. "I don't think we've formally met yet. I'm Hayate Yagami."

"Yeah, let's do great job, and I'm Nanoha Takamchi."

_"I don't understand why Fate wants me to watch her. What's so special about her?"_

**Normal POV**

Nanoha was just exiting the room and was currently making her way over to a washroom. She still despised that girl, Hayate. After all, Hayate did get to spend much more time with Fate-chan than she did. This of course made her 'Nanoha enemy #1'.

Finding a washroom, Nanoha stepped inside and sat down. Not a moment later, the door swung open and a group of girls stepped through. The brunette couldn't care less about who they were or what they were talking about. She decided to wait till they were gone before she came out.

"We're going out again tonight." One girl started a conversation.

"I can't wait it's going to be so funny." Another one added.

"Wait wait. Isn't this like the third one this week." It was then that the conversation had peeked Nanoha's interest. Not because of the fact that whatever these girls were planning on doing caught her attention, but because that was Fate's voice. Nanoha also recognized the other voices to be voices of Fate's new friends.

"Lighten up Fate. Its fun is it not? Besides, you have to." The first girl's voice turned serious at that last part.

_"What does she mean Fate-chan has to? I won't let her force Fate-chan to do something she doesn't want to." _Nanoha was just about to get up and unlock her stall, when Fate said something.

"You make it sound as if I wouldn't do 'it' willingly." It froze Nanoha mid action. "More to the point, if I didn't go, you guys wouldn't have such an...easy night."

"She's right you know." The other girls said. "Fate is a really big help. You shouldn't doubt her so quickly."

"Guess you're right. Well do a good job for us tonight then." The girl winked at Fate.

The blonde sighed and replied with a slight nod of her head. One of the girls noticed the expression on Fate's face. "You're not thinking of that Nanoha again are you? Since Nanoha is a..."

"I know what Nanoha is!" Fate yelled angrily. "We don't need to bring it up every time...I was just thinking about some assignment."

The trio then left the restroom and stepped back into the hallway.

"_I don't understand. What am I that Fate-chan and her friends know about? What are they doing that she needs to be present there for it to work? I hope it's not something dangerous. Fate-chan,. I want you to talk to me."_

**Option class**

5 of class 1-D's students were currently in their option class. Drama. It was one of those classes that some people like and others hated. Why? Well, some people where meant for the stage and others for the audiences. In other words, some people liked performing others completely despised it. But it was combinations of these two types of people that made this class the most fun

Currently Fate, Hayate and A few others were doing a parody performance based off of a _Disney_ princess movie.

_"I've never noticed how good an actor Fate was." _Nanoha thought to herself.

After the performance was done the group presenting bowed and sat back down. The teacher then stood up and leisurely made his way over to the front of the class.

The teacher, Griffith Lowran, started speaking. "That was an excellent performance. Seeing as how this class seems to be very good with their acting skills, I think it's time I assign the first project." There was a loud groan of anger with the teacher's decision. "It is going to be a big one. You might have to go over to each other's houses to complete it. That being said, I will give you enough time to finish the project. Though that will only be possible if you use every second in an efficient manner. The project is to create a play. It has to be at least 20 minutes long and have a clear and meaningful plot to it." He then went over to his desk and picked up a stack of neon green papers and started handing them out. A boy put up his hand to ask his question. Lowran-sensei glanced at him and responded anticipating his question. "No, you will not be choosing your groups. In fact they have already been assigned."

He walked back to his desk and picked up a sheet of paper with writing on it. The man started listing of the members of each group. "Group 5 is...Fate Testarossa, Arisa Bannings, Suzuka Tsukimura, and Nanoha Takamachi."

There was slight squealheard in the classroom, but no one could place where it had come from. _"Yes,yes,yes. This is the best group ever. All four of us, just like it used to be without Hay-"_

"Oh wait that's only four. How about Hayate Yagami?" There was another sound this time though it was a groan. "You can start discussing ideas now if you'd like."

With that, the students started moving around arranging chairs to form circles including only their group members. Group 5 got together as well. Silence. It seemed as if the quiet game was going on. No one uttered a word, till a purple haired girl spoke. "I think we should do another parody. Everyone liked the parodies done in class today and it earns a lot of laughs so that's a plus."

"Yeah, good idea." Nanoha commented. "What should we parody though? We can't do _Disney_ princesses since that was the topic in class today."

"What about Magical lyrical girls?" Hayate suggested.

_I wasn't asking you._ Nanoha thought bitterly. "I think that's a great idea." Fate commented. Hayate blushed and respond with a "thanks." Nanoha only sent a subtle glare Hayate's way.

Arisa added. "Mmm. That's good and easy. So when should we get together? Are we free tonight?"

"I can't today, I'm busy." Fate stated. Even though Nanoha had an idea where she was going, she wanted to find out more.

"Busy doing what?" the brunette asked innocently. The blonde looked over at Nanoha and just gazed at her. Almost as if wondering why she had asked or rather why she had even been placed in the same group. "Hanging out with friends." She answered simply.

The bell then rang, signally It was time to move on to the next class.

**After school: Midori-ya Cafe**

"Can you dash over to the store and get us some flour, Nanoha?" Momoko asked her youngest daughter.

"Sure, no problem" Nanoha quickly dressed up in a light blue jacket and jeans. The brunette swiftly put on her shoes and started the stroll to the store. As the brunette walked along she once again got lost in her thoughts. _I wonder where Fate-chan is right now? I hope she's having a good time._

Even though the blonde was ignoring her during school, Nanoha couldn't bring herself to hate Fate. Something deep inside her was telling her that she was missing something. The fact that there was something missing, was keeping her from completely ignoring Fate right back. Though Nanoha didn't know what information she was missing. She had heard a glimpse of it in the restroom, but not enough. She knew she'd have to wait to find out.

The brunette caught a bit of movement in her peripheral view. Normally she would just ignore it, but something tugged at her to look at it. She was glad she did. In the window seat of the store sat Fate and another woman. They seemed to be laughing heartily about something. Fate still had on her single earring and her hair was without the bow, but besides that she looked more like how she used to dress. Her jeans were blue and her jacket was purple with a blue shirt underneath.

Curious, Nanoha stepped into the Store. It was a dessert restaurant very similar to her families. In mere moments, she was sat down in the seat in front of Fate. Her booth was positioned so that the woman in Fate's booth saw her walk in but not Fate.

Taking the menu Nanoha ordered something small and cheap. She didn't want to be giving money to business rivals. After the women took her order, the brunette resolved to laying back against the booth.

"...yeah and then he was blushing all over." Fate told laughing at the end.

The women chuckled in response to the story the girl had just told her. _That Chrono. He needs to calm down a little bit around Amy."_ The women in the booth had teal hair and was wearing an admiral rank uniform which was a navy blue in color. She had a police badge on her left arm and a rank badge on her right.

"It seems Chrono needs to work up some courage if he wants to ask Amy out."

"I know right. I keep telling him to just ask her. But he has this idea that Amy is going say no and that it's going to ruin the relationship that they already have."

"_You took the words right out of my mouth Fate-chan."_Nanoha thought from the other booth.

"Well it is a common misconception of a lot of people, and who can blame them. Sometimes the relation between two people after a confession has happened can become strained and sometimes just disappear." The teal haired women explained.

"But that's what makes a confession mean so much. It's risking what you already have and telling them the how you feel. It takes lots of audacity to do it. If it was me, I would make sure our relation was strong enough to begin with so they'd have nothing to worry about. I mean if they worry over that, it would make me feel like an untrustworthy friend."

"_Fate-chan...I'm sorry...I'm sorry for not trusting you." _Nanoha could start to feel tears brimming her face. She wiped at her eyes furiously to make it stop, but they kept falling.

"By the way, how's school?"

"Really good actually. I'm very lucky again. This year all of us got put in the same class: Arisa, Suzuka, Nanoha, and Hayate. It's quite the lucky miracle. I'm really glad we're all in the same class."

_Wait did Fate-chan says she was happy with me being in her class? _Nanoha thought wiping her eyes.

"Is this Hayate girl the one from that time during summer?"

"Mhmm. She's doing much better now. Getting settled in really fast as well." Fate responded taking a spoon full from her parfait.

_What? This woman knows Hayate too?_ The waitress set Nanoha's order on the table it was a cup full of a mix of vanilla and chocolate ice cream. It was drizzled with strawberry syrup and had a cherry on top.

*Bzzz, Bzzz* Fate's phone started to blonde reached into her bag and picked it up. "Hello? ...Oh you're done already? ... Well then I'll meet you at the station... Yeah, Okay, bye." She then hung up her phone and deposited it back in her bag. "Well Admiral Harlaown," Fate stood up and saluted. "I have to go now."

"How many times do I have to tell you? You don't have to salute or call me admiral. Just Lindy will do. We're friends after all."

"Alright, _Lindy,_ see you later." She then dashed off not noticing the occupant of the booth right behind her.

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**AN: Well there's the next chapter. Hope it was good.**


	4. The Rival Appeared? The Truth revealed?

**A Time to Love**

_By: Revengest_

Summary: What is Nanoha to do when the one she loves might not feel the same way? And just when she decides it's time to confess, Nanoha's love interest disappears. When she comes back she has changed and brings another blue eyed brunette with her. What will Nanoha do?

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

"_Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**To all who review and are reading this. Thank you very much.**

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**Chapter 4: Has the Rival Appeared? Is the Truth Revealed?**

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

"No, not all." Nanoha responded to the teal haired admiral. The police officer sat down and introduced herself.

"Hello, I'm admiral officer, Lindy Harlaown." The admiral was quiet for a moment and had a thoughtful look on her face. "Could you be Nanoha Takamachi?"

"Yes, I am. I'm a first year in high school." The brunette wasn't surprised that the officer knew her name, considering the way the conversation with Fate had gone on earlier.

"I never thought I'd get the chance to meet you. The way Fate talks about you it's like your some 'super friend'. She says you're the best friend anyone can hope to have."

Nanoha blushes with embarrassment at the way Fate had talked about her.

"You know, lately I feel she's been hiding something. Fate's been coming to talk to me a lot more. I think she wants to talk about it, but decides not to at the last minute." Lindy stopped talking for a second. The officer then looked over at Nanoha seriously. "I was wondering if you could help her with this problem whatever it might be."

_"So I'm not the only one that's noticed." _"Yes, I would definitely like to help Fate-chan anyway I can."

"Thank you, Nanoha." The police officer replied. Just then her radio went off. "Yeah...Okay I'll be there...Sorry, Nanoha. I have to go now. There's been a robbery."

"No it's okay. I appreciate your service."

**The Next Day**

"So how should we start this?"

Four girls were lazing around in Nanoha's room. A brunette on the bed, a blonde sitting backwards on a chair, a purple head crossed legged on the floor, and another brunette sitting across from her. The four were at Nanoha's house coming up with things they could parody of the show Magical Lyrical Girls. So far they had nothing.

"How about we talk about how Bardiche always says 'Yes, sir' or something." The blonde Arisa comments.

"That's not a bad idea." Suzuka replied writing it down.

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard coming towards the room. The noise came to a stop in front of the bedroom door. There were a few knocks followed by a "Come in" from Nanoha. The being opened the door to reveal it was Fate.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to run an errand." Fate made her way further into the room and sat down next to Nanoha on her bed and gave her one of her signature smiles. Nanoha was frozen in shock. There were four things that Fate had done to put Nanoha in such a state. One, Fate had not gazed at Nanoha in a negative manner. Two, Fate had sat next to Nanoha. Three, Fate was wearing the black bow Nanoha had given her. Four, Fate had grinned at Nanoha with that smile that was impossible to not like. "Have we gotten anything down yet?"

"Not much, just something about Bardiche."

"What if we make a love story between Bardiche and Raising Heart? Maybe their love for each other is so big that it gets in the way of a fight." Nanoha perked up after getting out of her shocked state. She didn't know what had changed Fate's mind about her, but she was going to enjoy every moment of it.

"Yeah that's a good idea." Fate responded. The rest of the afternoon went on like this, with each person giving random ideas. There was a happy Nanoha, a smiling Fate, and a suspicious Hayate. Once they had about 50 ideas they decided to stop there for the day.

"See you later, Nanoha" The blonde waved to the brunette before leaving the house. The group of four walked away then split into two going separate ways.

Nanoha closed the front door and rushed upstairs to her room jumping on the bed. After a few seconds went by she started rolling back and forth on the bed. "She talked to me and laughed with me and smiled at me. It's just like in middle school. I'm so happy." Nanoha couldn't contain her excitement. It seemed like forever since a nice normal conversation happened between the two. Eventually Nanoha stopped her rolling and sat up in deep thought.

"If Fate-chan really is back, then maybe she'll tell me why she was so different at first. I hope she does." Nanoha thought about all the possible reason for Fate doing what she did. Coming up empty, she decided to think of other things. "This means I'll be able to confess, then she'll hopefully say yes, then we'll go on dates and maybe we'll have our first kiss." Nanoha squealed, blushing furiously at her last thought. "No need to get ahead of yourself Nanoha." She lightly scolded herself.

**Fate and Hayate walking home**

"So...that was interesting." Hayate stated conversationally. While she was saying that, she decided to walk just a little bit closer to Fate.

"Yeah, I think her parents furnished a little since I was last there." Fate replied back. It seemed she did not notice that Hayate had moved closer.

"Since last time? You've been there before?" Hayate asked curiously

"I visited her a lot during middle school and a little during summer. She also came over to my house too."

"I see...Well this is my house. Do you want to come in?"

"Sure, why not?" The two then stepped into the house.

**School Time**

"So, if X=10 and Y=13 then what would be the answer to the equation." No hands went up. "Well you would do this calculation first, which equals 24, then add it to the answer of this equation then..." The teacher explained writing the procedures as he went.

Some people were taking notes while others were just trying to stay awake or were planning what to do for lunch. A certain brunette however was multi tasking. Writing notes and planning for lunch. "_I'll ask Fate-chan if she wants to eat with Suzuka, Arisa, and I. Then we can talk and catch up. Then I'll give Arisa and Suzuka the 'signal' which will result in Fate-chan and me time. Which I will-_ *RING*

The bell rung and the sound of chairs being moved along the floor was heard throughout the class. Nanoha started packing her things into her book bag. When she finished she turned around. "Hey Fate-..." There was no one in the desk behind her. "_Fate-chan is quick. I didn't even hear her leave." _The brunette just decided to look for the blonde. As she started to depart, Nanoha was stopped by a hand.

"We have a class rep meeting, remember?" Hayate stated to the other girl.

Nanoha thought she heard an undertone of _something_ in Hayate's voice, but she decided to ignore it. "Oh yeah...I forgot. Sorry." The two then proceeded to the meeting.

After the meeting the two brunettes walked away from the room. It was then that Hayate started a conversation. "How long have you known Fate?"

"What?" Nanoha was surprised by the question. "I asked, how long have you known Fate." It seemed Hayate was almost irritated.

"Well we've known each other since middle school. Eventually our acquaintanceship became friendship then it became-" Nanoha stopped before her thoughts could slip.

"So over the course of 2 years you two have become close. Some could even call it love." Hayate was looking at the ground a shadow was cast over her face. There was a slight hint of anger and envy in her voice.

"Love is a bit much... Just...friends." _"Can I still call it friendship?" _Nanoha was surprised with Hayate. She was usually a happy and outgoing person. She was liked by everyone in their class. Seeing Hayate like this was a shock to Nanoha.

"Don't kid with me! I saw the way Fate was acting towards you when we went over to your house! It's obvious something is going on between you two! You'd have to be blind not to notice!" Hayate yelled at Nanoha. _"Now I see why Fate wanted me to watch her. Fate likes her doesn't she? But I won't let Nanoha have her so easily."_ Hayate was openly glaring at Nanoha. "I fell in love the moment I saw her during summer. Nanoha, from now on we are rivals." With that Hayate stormed off not taking a glance backwards.

Nanoha was speechless. Did Hayate just tell her she loved Fate? It was too much for Nanoha to handle that she continued walking in a very dazed state. _If Hayate likes Fate-chan too, then I'm going to have to step it up to get Fate-chan._

A loud slapping noise brought Nanoha out of her daze. The brunette rushed over to where the sound came from. She was just rounding the corner when she found Fate sitting with her back against the wall holding her left cheek. _ What's going on?_

"I heard you went to Nanoha's house." A girl with brown hair that was braided into two separate braids said. She had glasses on and was of average height.

"We were working on our drama project."Fate explained still holding her recently slapped cheek.

"But that wasn't all was it?" a boy questions. A tall blue haired girl picks up Fate and brings her to her own eye level. "You were being _nice _to her."

"So?" Fate said with a straight face. The blue haired girl adds, "Are you forgetting the terms of the contract? Acting mean to Nanoha is proof of the contract."

Nanoha wanted to move in to help Fate, but she also wanted to find out more.

"But yesterday was a very special day to me. I couldn't live with myself knowing I was mean to Nanoha on such an important day."

_"What was important about yesterday?" _Nanoha thinks to herself. _"Wait, yesterday, three years ago, Fate-chan and I met for the first time."_

_**Flashback**_

"_I didn't understand any of what sensei was teaching." A brunette complained to her two friends._

"_That's because you were busy day dreaming rather than paying attention!" Arisa pointed out. Nanoha wanted to protest, but she knew it was true._

"_Were you thinking about the girl in our option class again?" Suzuka asked calmly._

"_Yeah, she just seems so far away and distant. Lonely. I want to get to know her."_

_The girl was a new student that transferred in during the middle of the school year. Because of her timing she didn't have many friends, and there was just something about her that kept people away. Nanoha wanted to change that._

"_That's going to be hard to do. The girl purposefully pushes people away." Arisa stated_

"_Maybe she's just not used to talking to people." Suzuka mused. "Either way, I think it's great you want to befriend the girl. In fact I'll help you as well..." When the purple head had finished talking the brunette was nowhere in sight._

"_Hey! Testarossa-san. Over here!" Nanoha screamed running over to the blonde. Fate seeing a girl running up to her, quickly dashed away. "Hey, wait." The blonde didn't stop and only increased her speed. The brunette had slowed down, already running out of breath. Nanoha started walking around looking for Fate. She almost lost hope till a flash of blonde passed by her. She quickly followed to the rooftop._

"_Geez why didn't you wait for me?" The blonde flinched hearing the voice behind her. Nanoha walked up to her and sat down opening her bento. After a while of quiet eating Nanoha decided to formally introduce herself. "I'm Nanoha Takamachi. I'm in you art class remember?"_

_There was no response from Fate. Nanoha didn't expect Fate to open up to her so quickly, but she did want the blonde to introduce herself too, even if she already knew her name._

_The next few lunches went by like this with Nanoha talking about something random and Fate just being quiet. That is until one day. "Takamachi-san." The brunette hummed in reply. "Fate Testarossa." At first the brunette didn't understand, but then realized the blonde was telling her name._

"_Fate Testarossa. Fate. Is it okay if I call you Fate-chan!"_

_Fate nodded in reply. "It's okay, Takamachi-san."_

"_No, no ,no. That won't do." Nanoha complained. You have to call me by my first name."_

"_First name?" Fate asked. "Yeah yeah. Nanoha."_

"_Nanoha-san." The brunette made a playful angry face._

"_Were friends, so you don't need to use honorific's."_

"_Then, Nanoha." Fate tried again._

"_Yeah, just like that."_

"We'll have to talk to the boss about this. I don't think he'll be happy to know you broke part of the contract." At the mention of the word boss Fate's eyes widen.

"You wouldn't tell him." Fate said threateningly.

"And why wouldn't I?" The girl with glasses asks.

"..." Fate was silent. The girl smirked. "You'll probably be wanted this evening." With that the group around Fate walked away.

Immediately Nanoha was in front of Fate. Staring at her deep burgundy eyes asking if she was okay. "Fate-chan. What did they do to you? Are you okay?" The sky eyed brunette frantically asked the blonde in front of her. Fate quietly got up, gazed at Nanoha for a second then walked away.

"Fate-chan! Where are you going." The blonde didn't respond.

Getting no response from the red eyed girl Nanoha was very upset. She thought Fate was back to the way she used to be. She started to think. _I don't get it. Why doesn't she talk to me? Or rather, why can't she talk to me? Apparently I'm some proof of contract, but what is this contract. What does it have to do with me? It seems she doesn't actually hate me. She even remembered the day we met. Something just doesn't add up. I need to find out what exactly is going on._

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**_A/N: Here's the next chapter. It took me longer than thought, since this was supposed to be uploaded on thursday(following my 4 day pattern). Anyway, Since this is kind of an impotant chapter I hope I explained the stuff I wanted to explain clearly enough._**

**_I just realized all my chapter titles are questions (Like shinryaku ika musume). Some which aren't completely answered. Whatever. Till next time._**

**_BTW: The reason the chapter's titles are different (the one I typed to upload the story at the very top, and the one in the actual story) is because I ran out of room...Well... I doubt anyone noticed... or cared fro that matter. If you did notice, good on you._**


	5. Fate's Going to Jail?

**A Time to Love**

_By: Revengest_

Summary: What is Nanoha to do when the one she loves might not feel the same way? And just when she decides it's time to confess, Nanoha's love interest disappears. When she comes back she has changed and brings another blue eyed brunette with her. What will Nanoha do?

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

"_Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**Thanks to all that are reading and reviewing.**

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**Chapter 5: Fate's Going to Jail?**

It had been three days since the previous events with Fate and Nanoha, and Fate hadn't come to school since. Neither had the group with her, and that was what bothered Nanoha the most. She was scared of what they could possibly be doing to her Fate. The brunette wanted to ask about Fate's whereabouts, but the only person she knew might have an idea, didn't exactly like her.

**School Time**

"Are you okay? You look like you've been in a fight." "Wow look at that bruise."

Nanoha perked hearing all the commotion in the hallway. Turning away from her friends conversations she stared at the door. While she did want Fate to come back to school, she didn't want to this person to be Fate. It would mean her suspicions would be confirmed.

Quietly the door slid open to reveal exactly who the brunette didn't want. Fate walked through the door with a square band aid on her cheek, a bruised shoulder, and numerous cuts on her legs. Seeing Fate in such condition started to fuel a deep anger for whoever did this to her Fate. And luckily for Nanoha, she knew exactly who to release it on.

**Lunch Time**

As soon as the lunch bell rings, Nanoha is out of her chair and heading straight for Fate's supposed assaulters.

"Fate?" A concerned voice said.

"Yeah?" The blonde answered back.

"Are you okay? You're really injured. What happened while you were gone?" Hayate asked. She too was worried while Fate was away and seeing her come back like this was surprising to say the least.

"I'm fine. Just ran into a little trouble. After school." Fate responded giving a bright smile to ease Hayate's concern.

Hayate decided not to push further. She knew no matter how much she prodded Fate for an answer, she wouldn't get a very reliable one. Fate was someone who tried to make others not worry about her too much. Which was hard for Hayate not to do. Considering what Fate had done for her during summer.

"I see...you want to eat lunch together? It's been so long since I've seen you last." Hayate asked sweetly, still worried about Fate's current state.

"Sure, why not." Fate replied getting her lunch from her bag. She just seemed to noticed that the other brunette wasn't in front of her anymore. "Do you know where Nanoha is?"

Hayate hesitates in her response not sure if it is a good idea to tell the blonde. "I think she went off to talk to Quattro and them." Fate abruptly gets up and heads towards the door before she feels a pull on her arm. She halts and turns around to find Hayate holding on to her tightly. "Where are you going? You said we would eat lunch together."

"I have to go get something real quick." Fate lightly tugged on her arm, but not enough to pull it free. She hated to leave Hayate alone. After all, the girl had been through a lot lately, but she had to go before _those guys_ tried something.

"Oh...Okay. I'll wait here then." Hayate said, slightly dejected. The brunette released her hold on the blonde, albeit slowly.

"Go ahead and eat. I'll catch up with you." _Hopefully. _ Fate said that last part to herself, and quickly sets off to where Nanoha was most likely to be metting up with Quattro.

_"What does Nanoha have that I don't?" _Hayate thought angrily to herself.

**Meanwhile**

"You wanted to talk to us." An average height girl with glasses and twin braids, Quattro, asked Nanoha.

Nanoha clenches her fists trying to suppress her rage. "I saw you hit Fate the other day. I have a feeling Fate might be doing something she shouldn't be, something about a boss. I think you people might be able to tell me." Nanoha asks as calmly as possible, as she looks at them with hard eyes.

The group adjacent to Nanoha looked at each other and laughed. "Let me guess. You're angry because your jealous? Fate found some new friends and someone to replace you. It's not good to be possessive. Maybe that's why Fate dropped you." A boy joked.

Nanoha's resolve slightly diminished hearing this. Was it true? Was she being possessive? Was Fate only looking for a few new friends. _"No" _Nanoha thought to herself_ "If that were the case what happened few days back wouldn't fit. It wouldn't make sense." _With that Nanoha's determination returned and was even stronger.

"I do have to commend you though for calling us out. In fact I'll reward you for it by telling you something useful." Sein stated. " You see, over the summer Fate and I met. We became..._great_ _friends_. Long story short, I invited her to our little group, and she joined _willingly_."

Nanoha didn't believe a word that came out of the green haired girl. The way she said 'great friend' and 'willingly' tipped her off greatly. Just when she was about to reply, a very familiar figure steeped in front of her.

"Well hello, Fate. It's about time you showed up and just in time too. Nanoha here was just asking about our relation to each other. Why don't you tell her the rest? I'm sure she'll love to hear it." Quattro smirked at Fate. Fate stood there silent, an intense glare are her face as she stood defensively between Nanoha and the other group. "What? Scared she'll reject you? It'd be a waste after all you've done."

Just then a cell phone rang. Sein picks it up. "Hello?...yeah...she's here...okay I'll tell them." Sein shuts of the connection then states "The operation has been bumped up. He wants us to meet up with him to go over it."

Fate's eyes widen in surprise. "But it was set for next week!" She yelled.

"And?" Quattro raised her eyebrows. "If the boss wants it done now, then it gets done now. Understand? Or do you need another reminder." Fate's hand unconsciously went to her bruised arm. It was then a flicker of realization came across Nanoha's face. _"So I was right in thinking they did this to Fate-chan. I won't let them do this to her ever again."_

Nanoha takes a step in front of Fate. "I don't completely understand what's going on, but I've figured out Fate-chan is doing this because of me."

"Nanoha, stay out of this, please" Fate asked calmly with a noticeable edge to her voice.

"How can she stay out of this? She cares about you too much." Sein commented. "Any way we have to go now. Jail's waiting." The group and Fate leave a baffled Nanoha behind.

_"Jail's waiting? Does that mean she's going to do something that might get her in jail? I have to do something." _Nanoha thought to herself.

**After School Time**

"Let me guess. It's about Nanoha isn't it." A short red haired girl asked her sighing friend.

"It's always about Nanoha. Fate goes chasing after Nanoha during lunch instead of eating lunch with me like she said. And they both left school early." Hayate complained to her friend, Vita. Ever since Fate hadn't come back that lunch she'd been in a sad sort of mood continually asking herself 'What so special about Nanoha'.

"You know what the problem is? It's relationship time."

"Relationship time?" Hayate repeated.

"Yup. You have only known Fate since that incident during summer. She may still be warming up to you. Nanoha on the other hand has known Fate since middle school. Of course Fate would go after her." Vita explained to the brunette.

"What about Fate's attitude towards Nanoha." Hayate questioned.

"Maybe they got into a huge fight. Anyway I've got a plan to help you out. It's completely fool proof."

**Meanwhile**

Nanoha was sitting in the local police station playing with her thumbs nervously. She was still contemplating whether she should do this or not. _"I'm sure this'll work. If this operation of theirs is their first, then she won't get into too much trouble right?"_

"Miss Nanoha?" The desk attendant said.

"Yes?" The brunette shot up and walked over to the desk.

"You wanted to see admiral Lindy right?"

"Yes. That's correct." Nanoha answered.

"She'll be over soon." the officer informed. "Okay, thank you."

After a couple minutes The admiral ranked officer stepped out to greet the girl.

"Hello Nanoha. Would you like to talk in my office?" The brunette nodded and followed the older women to her private office. As the two females sat down on opposite ends of a brown desk, Lindy decided to ask "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"It's about Fate-chan."

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**A/N: There's the next Chapter. It ended up being my shortest chapter yet. Sorry for the wait. It took me a while to figure out how I should shape this chapter. I ended up taking out a lot and moving it on too later chapters. Anyway, I've reached the 20 review mark. I'm really happy. I didn't think I'd get that many reviews. So thankyou to those that review every chapter. It's much appreciated. Thank you. Till next time.**


	6. Nanoha's Resolve

**A Time to Love**

_By: Revengest_

Summary: What is Nanoha to do when the one she loves might not feel the same way? And just when she decides it's time to confess, Nanoha's love interest disappears. When she comes back she has changed and brings another blue eyed brunette with her. What will Nanoha do?

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

"_Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**C****hapter 6: Nanoha's Resolve**

A group of three friends were currently outside enjoying the beautiful, sunny day while eating their lunch. But of course, one of the friend's mind was elsewhere.

**Lunch Time**

"Have you heard about all the robberies going on lately?" Arisa asked Suzuka.

"Mhmm. It seems the city's gangs all picked the same time to go out." Suzuka replies.

_"Gangs huh" _Nanoha muses to herself.

_**Flashback**_

"What about Fate? Did you find out what's bugging her?"

"Yeah." The brunette responded warily. She still wasn't sure about this decision. "I think she's gotten involved in something serious. Like a gang."

The officers eyes widen in utter shock. "Fate would never join a gang. I don't believe it."

"What if it wasn't of her own free will. Like she was being threatened. You see, whenever Fate-chan is with these new 'friends' of hers, my name always comes up. They might be using me to have something over Fate-chan." Nanoha didn't like the fact that she was being used against the blonde like this. She desperately wanted to help Fate out of her situation no matter what.

"I see. That sounds reasonable." Lindy thought out loud. She paused as she thought some more things over. "Thank you for coming to me immediately. The quicker we find out what's going on, the quicker Fate can get out of it.

"Umm...Is Fate-chan going to be in trouble"

Lindy replies seeing the concern in Nanoha's eyes. "She might. depending on how involved she was in the gangs decisions and attacks. But, if she was truly being threatened, then she won't be in any kind of trouble. Anyway tell me if anything new comes up. I'm going to talk to Mrs. Testarossa to see if she might have any information."

"Nanoha?...Nanoha...Nanoha!"

Nanoha comes back to reality to see a concerned Suzuka and an angry Arisa staring at her. "Nyahaha. Sorry guys I was just thinking about something. She laughed nervously while rubbing the back of her head. She rejoined her friends conversation adding her own comments in. That is till she felt something. The brunette swiveled around to face behind.

"Is something wrong, Nanoha?" Suzuka asked her friend.

"I don't know. I feel like someone is watching us." Nanoha inspects her surrounding some more, looking for a sign of someone's presence, but she found nothing except for the students that were playing, talking, and minding their own business. "Must be my imagination."

"Maybe it's a secret admirer." Teases Arisa.

"Mou, Arisa!" Nanoha huffed. Though she would be happy if it was a secret admirer. As long as it was a certain Blonde.

**Meanwhile...**

"That was a close one! She almost spotted us!" A short red head notifies from behind a sakura tree.

"I still don't understand why we have to do this." A brunette replied.

"Hayate! do you want to win Fate over or what."

"Yeah, I do, but how is talking to Nanoha going to help."

"You might find out something useful. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." Vita explained giving her taller friend a helpful shove towards Nanoha.

Hayate stumbled forward almost falling before she regained her footing. She turned back to send a sharp glare in Vita's direction. The red head merely smiled and gave a thumbs up. The brunette takes a deep breath and holds her bento just a little tighter to calm herself.

"Hey, do you mind if I eat lunch with you? My other friends are little busy." Arisa looked at Hayate warily, in which the girl responded with a sheepish grin.

Nanoha slowly nodded. A quick glance at everyone else and she knew they were all thinking the same thing. _"Why is she here?"_ It's not that they didn't want Hayate around, it was just odd that she was here. "Thanks."

There was an extensive moment of awkward silence. The type of awkward when someone says a joke that isn't even remotely funny, but rather insulting. It continued like this till Hayate spoke up. "Nanoha, I'm sorry for how I acted a few days ago. It was a little...well really explosive. I kind of over reacted. Sorry."

"It's okay. I probably would've done the same thing."

_"Probably?" _Arisa and Suzuka both thought.

"That doesn't mean I'm giving up on Fate." Hayate hastily added.

"I guessed as much." While Nanoha was saying that on the outside, she was secretly hoping the other girl would give up.

The awkward silence settled again, but for a much shorter amount of time. "So...how'd you meet Fate" Hayate asked to break the quietness.

"First year in middle school. Fate transferred in during the middle of the year so she didn't have many friends."

"Of course Nanoha here can never leave someone alone." Arisa cut in.

"Let me finish!" Nanoha shouted. Suzuka chuckled at her friends quietly.

"Anyway I started eating lunch with her then just like that boom-!"

"She exploded?" Arisa interjected again.

"No! We became friends." Nanoha finished sending an angry glare Arisa's way.

"We got to know Fate through Nanoha." Suzuka added. "What about you. You didn't go to the same school as us did you?"

"No I didn't. I met Fate during summer." Hayate paused aking a moment before continuing. "I was talking with my friends, and I wasn't paying attention. I walked right into the street. That's when things started to move in slow motion from me. My friends were calling my name frantically. I didn't understand why till a car horn started blaring. I was like a deer in headlights. I tried to move, but I was frozen in place. I totally thought that was the end till a yellow blur came by. I bet you can guess that was."

Nanoha was taken aback by this. She wasn't surprised that Fate had saved Hayate. After all it is Fate we're talking about. She was more worried about if they had gotten injured or not.

"Fate was all questions. She kept asking if I was alright the car's bumper skimmed my leg, but it wasn't that bad at all. Compared to Fate it was just an over sized paper cut. It seemed the car got her on her side. She was bleeding pretty badly. Still she was more concerned about me than herself." Hayate explained a light blush adorned her cheek at the last part of her explanation.

Hayate had purposely left out the position Fate and herself had wound up in. Fate had jumped in and grabbed Hayate by the waist effectively pushing Hayate out of the way. Hayate had landed on her back surprisingly softly with Fate on top of her. A hand and a leg on either side of the brunette. As the blonde pushed herself up, still over the brunette, she had then asked her questions hair cascading on both sides and seeming to glow because of the sun. That was something she would keep to herself.

"Were you okay?" Suzuka asked concerened.

"Yeah, like I said Fate got way worse than me. She made quick recovery though. Speak of the devil. Fate!" Hayate yelled noticing the blonde walking by.

The one being called looked over and smiled. Before she made her way over, she looked to her right and seemed to be looking at someone. She nodded and walked over to the group sitting down. "Hey. How's everyone doing." Fate seemed more calm about talking with the group. It was especially weird considering Nanoha was also there.

Everyone replied similarly by all saying good great and the like.

Suzuka spoke up. " Since we are all here how about we make a date to work on our drama project. We haven't met for a while now." Suzuka made sure not to look at Fate while saying this. Nanoha had told her what had happened with Fate over the past few days and Suzuka had offered Nanoha all her support. So had Arisa.

"I'm free in the morning and afternoon this weekend." Fate said.

"Same, but I don't think I'll be able to wake up in the mornings." Hayate laughed.

The rest of the group agreed on Saturday and Sunday afternoon for meeting up and decided on Hayate's house this time.

**Later That Day...**

"Okay, everyone pair up." The gym teacher shouted to the various classes assembled. Everyone hurried to find a partner not wanting to be the last one. Arisa and Suzuka had already paired up while Nanoha was looking for a specific blonde. _"Where is she?" _The brunette started to jump up and down to see over the heads of her fellow classmates. _"Maybe she's closer to the track."_ The girl then proceeded to walk toward the track still looking for her partner to be. That is until she crashed into someone.

"Ah Sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." Nanoha looked up to see who she had bumped into, but found no one." _What? I could've sworn."_

"It's okay. It happens to me a lot." The brunette looked down to find a very short child standing there. Nanoha was tempted to say something, but it seemed the girl gave off a 'mention it and your dead' aura, so she decided against it. "Do you have a partner?"

"No...Not really." The brunette knew where this was going. But couldn't find it in her to turn the girl down.

"Can we be partners then? I'm Vita Yagami. Nice to meet you."

"Yeah sure. I'm Nanoha Takamachi." Nanoha replied shaking Vita's hand. _"Yagami? That name seems so familiar. But from where?"_

"Okay, now that we're all partnered up, pick someone to go first and start running laps alternating after each one." The teacher instructed.

"I'll go fir-" Vita started only to be interrupted by her partner.

"No I'll go first. I just want to get active faster." Nanoha gave a nervous laugh at her explanation. While her true reason for going first was already on the running track. She rushed over to catch up, only to find that the gym teacher had yelled start meaning her reason had already taken off. No matter, Nanoha started running after her easily passing by some of the slower runners in her attempt to catch up.

"Sorry Hayate, couldn't get her to go second."

"No problem Vita. At least I get to hear Fate cheering me on."

Nanoha was panting hard as she came to stop after her first lap. She gave Vita a high five signaling their switch, then made her way over to the water fountain. She had failed to catch up to Fate, but it was understandable. Her legs felt like lead after the run and all she wanted to do was lay down and sleep. But first she needed some water.

Reaching the fountain she promptly bent down to sip some water. Standing up she saw her. _"Fate-chan."_ She quickly made her way over to Fate. Nanoha had been waiting for a chance to talk to Fate in private, but someone always came up to talk to either Fate or her. "Fate-chan!" The brunette saw the blonde stiffen for a moment, almost as if she was deciding whether she should respond or not. It seemed Fate chose the former, as she slowly turned around to face Nanoha.

"Yes?" Fate said with a little uncertainty.

"Umm...I just wanted to tell you that I'm not mad at you or anything. I can't say I know everything that's going on, but I want to help you. And I'm going to help you." Nanoha explained. Her facae showing her determination and dedication.

"Nanoha." Fate was speech less and probably near tears. She counted herself lucky to have a friend like Nanoha. She wouldn't let him harm her. She couldn't. Fate gradually made her way over to Nanoha and squeezed her in hug. "Thank you, Nanoha." She said in a whisper.

Nanoha was surprised by Fate's gesture, but truly happy. now the brunette was sure she was doing the right thing. Just by that hug she knew that Fate was truly a good person and didn't want to want to be doing the things she was forced to be doing. She was only doing it to protect her. Now she had to protect Fate. Nanoha embraced her friend with a reassuring hug.

"Tsk, tsk Fate. You chose the wrong time to go soft." The figure smirked as it turned to leave.

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**A/N: Wow 3 A/N's in one chapter! Anyway thanks for reading and reviewing again. I've reached 30 reviews. I'm really happy. Anyway first chapter with out a question. YES!**


	7. Fate's Boss is Who?

**A Time to Love**

_By: Revengest_

Summary: What is Nanoha to do when the one she loves might not feel the same way? And just when she decides it's time to confess, Nanoha's love interest disappears. When she comes back she has changed and brings another blue eyed brunette with her. What will Nanoha do?

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

"_Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**Thanks to all that are reading and reviewing.**

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**Chapter 7: Fate's Boss is Who?**

A trio of high school girls walked home laughing and talking about the day's events and other random things. Once again though Nanoha felt she was being watched just like during lunch. But this one was different. Last time it had went away as soon as Hayate came by which Nanoha has dubbed as odd and suspicious, but this one seemed to hold ill intent. Her sixth sense had been active since she left school which put her on edge. None the less, the brunette tried to ignore it. After all, it hadn't been anything serious last time.

Arisa sees Nanoha spacing out yet again. She sighs, a little annoyed, but that's when she remembers something. "Hey Nanoha, after school I saw Fate talking to some weird pervert guy. They seemed to be in some deep conversation."

That caught Nanoha's attention instantly. "Do you know what they were talking about?" Nanoha asked quickly.

"And how do you know it was a pervert?" Suzuka asked as well.

"I didn't hear them and well the guy was wearing a white lab coat, had shaggy hair and some shady looking eyes. Plus he looked like what 40 and he's talking to a high school girl. Come on you'd think he was a pervert to if you saw him." Arisa explained

"I guess you have a point" Suzuka said while Nanoha just let out a small laugh making a mental note to tell Lindy of this guy to see if he had any relation to the current problem.

**Meanwhile...**

A tall, high school blonde walked down a series of corridors to an unknown place within the building. The girl known as Fate had been summoned by _him_. The man who she now hated with a passion. As she continues her journey she sees Quattro and few others watch her go, a smug smile on a few of their faces. Though Fate didn't care. She just had to stay strong and keep her main task in mind. Keeping him away from Nanoha.

She came to a door that was slightly bigger and way more decorated than other normal doors. Fate opened them slowly. She was in no rush to arrive.

"You've finally arrived. Took you long enough." Came a voice from somewhere in the shadows of the large room.

"It's easier to get here when you have a car." Fate retorted turning to face the figure. It was a man with purple length shoulder hair that had bangs and was longer in the front than in the back. He wore a pure white lab coat in an almost suit like fashion. He had brown shoes and was wearing blue clothes inside. A smug smile was plastered on his face.

"Perhaps, but aren't you known for your speed."

"I run track not marathons, Jail." **(A/N: She's not even on her school's track team. I just thought it'd be a cool thing to say.)**

"Well enough small talk. There's business to be taken care of." The man now known as Jail got up and started walking over to a large screen. "You see Admiral Lindy is starting to get on my nerves again. It seems she's picked up our case again. With more intent might I add."

"She's a police officer. Isn't that what she's supposed to do?"

Jail didn't answer her question as he sat down at a computer chair. "My sources tell me it is because of a certain Takamachi."

Fate noticeably tensed up at hearing that. She had already figured that Nanoha was trying to help, but hadn't known she had gone to the police. Though the blonde felt really happy that her friend cared so much. "So why are you telling me this?"

"No reason. Just a reminder that you can't tip Nanoha off." Fate couldn't help but smile on the inside. If she had a dollar for every time that Nanoha had been tipped off by accident or not she'd be quite rich. Though the fact that Jail was telling her this meant he was already aware of this.

"Well Nanoha is just that type of person. She won't take no for an answer and she doesn't like being left in the dark. Nothing I can do about that." Fate wouldn't even try at all, It was Nanoha's personality that Fate liked so much. It was nice, caring and so much more.

"Yes of course. You can't change someone's personality." He said smiling at Fate. The girl responded by gritting her teeth. He continued, "But you can do something about Lindy's probing."

"Maybe." She replied more calm than just a second ago. She couldn't lose her composure in front of him, but he always knew how to get to her

The purple headed man swerved around on his computer chair to face the large screen. After pressing a few buttons the screen showed a medium-sized room. There was a bed in a corner and a dresser in the opposing corner. There was desk against a wall with a few papers lying around. It was painted a light blue that would instantly remind some one of the sky. Fate's hands clench in anger. Though she tries to hide her emotions that were brought out by the show on the screen. A girl then walks into the room and sets her bag down on her desk. She then flops onto the bed with a deep sigh. The girl seems to be lifeless as she lays their just staring at the ceiling in deep thought. The only sign of life in her is the steady rise and fall of her chest. Suddenly, she gets up and takes out some papers from her bag and sits down at her desk. She searches around the desk for a pencil and sighs happily at finding one that is already sharpened. The paper in front of her says math assignment and name next to it which the girl fills out in neat letters. It reads Nanoha Takamachi. the lab coat man turns off the feed and turns to a very angered Fate with a smirk. "Just some motivation."

**Some Time Later...**

"That was a little harder than expected" Nanoha sighed, putting her pencil away. Her sixth sense had settled down a little after she started her homework much to the brunette's relief. After some few moments, Nanoha stood up and got a jacket from her dresser and rushed downstairs. "Mom Dad I'm going out for a little while." Nanoha quickly informed her parents before leaving the house to make her way to the police station. She had to tell Lindy about the man Fate was talking to. Something told her it wasn't just some pervert.

Nanoha came into the police station panting a little. She had run here as fast as she could to make sure she caught the police officer since she wasn't sure of her working hours. She went over to the front desk and requested to talk to Admiral Lindy.

"Oh Nanoha, hello." A teal haired women greeted the brunette.

Nanoha turned to see the officer and "...Fate-chan?"

"Nanoha? What are you doing here?"

"I...um...wanted to talk to Officer Lindy."

"Well this is quite the coincidence isn't it?" Lindy said smiling a thought coming to her. "Why don't you come with us, Nanoha? We were just going out for some dinner."

"Thanks, but I don't want to interrupt." Nanoha stated politely. Something told Nanoha that it wouldn't be the best idea to say what she wanted to say now. And the troubled look on Fate's face only helped that theory out. Not only that but her sixth sense had come back again.

"Oh I insist. My treat. I can drive you home as well." Lindy smiled. Fate had now put 2 and 2 together and figured out what Lindy was trying to do. Lindy wasn't an admiral ranked officer for nothing. Fate guessed Lindy wanted to bring Nanoha along so that she could not only get the information that Nanoha had originally come here to give, but to see what Fate's reaction would be. Which she would use to decide if the information was true or not and what she should do with it. Though this wasn't entirely bad for Fate. Depending on what Nanoha said and if she played her cards right she might be able to get Nanoha out of Jail's reach. Though it would be hard to do with Jail's spy somewhere nearby. Still Fate would try. She just need to show the 'right' reaction to what Nanoha says and be able to confuse Lindy as well. Hopefully Nanoha said only helpful things.

"Umm okay." Nanoha replied giving in. She would just have to keep her mouth shut and not say anything for Fate's sake. She wanted to help Fate. Not make things worse. So even if it meant stuffing her face with food, she wouldn't utter a word.

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**A/N: Now there's a problem. Fate needs Nanoha to talk to get her out of Jail's evil clutches, but Nanoha feels it would be better if she didn't say anything. Anyway here's the next chapter. Shorter than normal but I finally put something up. Enjoy. And thanks for all the reviews.**


	8. Lindy, Fate and Nanoha Have a Talk

**A Time to Love**

_By: Revengest_

Summary: What is Nanoha to do when the one she loves might not feel the same way? And just when she decides it's time to confess, Nanoha's love interest disappears. When she comes back she has changed and brings another blue eyed brunette with her. What will Nanoha do?

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

"_Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**Thanks to all who are reading and reviewing.**

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**Chapter 7: Lindy, Fate and Nanoha Have a Talk**

**At a restaurant...**

Booth six is one of the many seating booths in the restaurant. It was normally a booth for four, but there weren't any seating arrangements designed for only three people, so the trio was sat here by the waiter. There was a weird silence in this particular booth. They quietly flipped through their menu. The only noise coming from them was the occasional flip of plastic covered paper in the menu. Indeed it was a weird silence.

"And here are your drinks." The waiter said placing each drink in front of their respective owner. Lindy had ordered some tea while the other two, Nanoha and Fate, had gotten soda.

"Are you ready to order?" He asked the customers politely. The group nodded their head and started listing off the meals they'd decided on. Fate chose some teriyaki chicken strips, while Nanoha got a wrap that had strawberries and whipped cream in it, something to ease her confectionary likings. Lindy ordered Italian spaghetti. "Really, Lindy? You order that every time." The waiter said with a sigh.

"What can I say? It's the best spaghetti I've ever tasted. It's the only reason I come here so often, Dave." Lindy replied

"It makes me wonder why I even bother giving you a menu." He said thoughtfully taking away their menu's and heading off.

"You know him?" Nanoha asked.

"Of course I know him; I come here all the time. Since this place doesn't have a lot of waiters he's ends up waiting me pretty often. But as of late, Fate here has joined me quite often talking about anything and everything." Lindy put that last bit in hoping to generate some specific conversation.

Fate's eyes glinted with an idea as she mentally thanked Lindy for the conversation starter. "Once we go out to eat like this, the whole nights wasted." Fate joked lightly. "While I'll admit I ask to come here with you most of the time, I'm now kind of wishing I didn't do so so often." Fate finished keeping the joking attitude going. She knew this could be understood in two similar, but very different ways. 1. She had other things to do at home, like homework, being with her parents etc. 2. She had 'other' things to do with her new 'friends'. Fate was hoping Nanoha took it the second way.

"What? You don't like spending time with me?" Lindy pouted playfully. What Fate didn't know was that Lindy had caught the double meaning of her words. Or at least had a suspicion considering Fate always seemed to be enjoying herself a lot at the restaurant. She decided to keep going with Fate's joking manner hoping Nanoha would find the double meaning as well.

And find it she did. She had spent so much time thinking only about Fate that her mind seemed to have developed a radar of sorts for when things were off. "Then what exactly would you rather be doing than being with Admiral Lindy." Nanoha asked nicely trying to not get in a slump over what Fate's been doing recently.

Fate mentally jumped in excitement as Nanoha continued in a favorable way. But she needed to stay calm. For all she knew, Jail's spy could be nearby. If the spy figured it out and reported back to Jail, it'd be over in an instant. "Hanging out with my friends I guess. Though maybe not too much. Those guys run around amok all the time." She chose her words carefully knowing full well that mentioning her other friends might bring out a bigger reaction than required. And the amok thing, also a hidden suggestion for Lindy. A little exaggerated though but that was to keep its meaning hidden from unwanted ears.

Nanoha clutched her seat tightly while her facial expression changed slightly. This of course didn't go unnoticed by the Admiral who made a mental note to look into who Fate's friends were. "It's nice that you're meeting new people." Nanoha stated slowly. She wanted so badly to spill everything that she'd learned to Lindy, but something inside her still told her not to. _"Forget it. Just like Lindy said 'The quicker we find out what's going on, the quicker Fate can get out of it.' Still I don't understand what Fate-chan is doing. She's talking so cryptically. I Guess I'll follow suit." _Nanoha composed herself then spoke, "I mean you and your friends are really cute no wonder that pervert guy was talking to you."

"..."

Lindy and Fate had developed a rather large sweat drop going down the side of their head which was slightly tilted to the side. They both knew who Nanoha was referring to.

_"So it was him after all. I'll never understand why he wears that lab coat though." _Lindy thought happy that she finally got the response she needed. Now she only had to find out where Jail's new hideout was.

_ "Pervert, huh?...Well I know where she's coming from." _Fate thought laughing at Nanoha's take on Jail.

"What did I say something wrong?" Nanoha asked aloud wondering why they got that reaction. She mentally went over what she said. That's when she realized her mistake. She had called Fate cute. Her face exploded red in embarrassment. _No, no, no, no. Friends call other friends cute right? But are Fate and I still friends? Of course we are she just can't show it now. But it probably sounded like a confession to them. I certainly didn't want Fate to find out this way._

"Here you go Lindy, Fate, and guest." Dave said handing them each their food. His arrival couldn't have happened at a better time as it provided a relief from the conversation crisis.

The rest of the evening was silent. Though both Fate and Lindy were okay with it because they both conveyed what they wanted to. Meanwhile Nanoha still couldn't get over what she had said even though neither of the other two took it that way. She slowly ate her food and refused to look at Fate. She couldn't bear the look Fate might give her.

**Later...**

"Here we are!" Lindy exclaimed happily after stopping in front of a house.

"Thanks." Nanoha quietly replied getting out of the car. She shut the door behind her and speedily made her way into her house. Closing the door in front of her, she slid down it slowly. _I never knew my heart could beat so fast. Fate. I hope I helped out somehow._

**Meanwhile...**

"She's a very nice kid that Nanoha." Lindy idly commented to Fate making it seem as if she'd never met the brunette before.

"I know." Fate replied smiling happily completely in her own world as she watched Nanoha leave to her house.

Lindy started the car giving a quiet chuckle at Fate's obvious affection towards the other girl. It was always funny seeing Fate talk on and on about Nanoha without any reserve. She was going to make sure Jail got the hardest punishment possible. _Fate's 16. Maybe I can charge him for kidnapping as well._

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**A/N: I'm sorry this took so long. And it ended up being quite short. hopefully it won't happen again. Hopefully. Well enjoy and review.**


	9. The Sports Festival Is Coming?

**A Time to Love**

_By: Revengest_

Summary: What is Nanoha to do when the one she loves might not feel the same way? And just when she decides it's time to confess, Nanoha's love interest disappears. When she comes back she has changed and brings another blue eyed brunette with her. What will Nanoha do?

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

_"Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**Thanks to all who are reading and reviewing.**

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**Chapter 9: The Sports Festival Is Coming?**

**Hayate's House**

Group 5 was currently sitting around a table in Hayate's room. They were working on their drama project since they hadn't worked on it in a while. Since it was her room and everyone already knew about her love, Hayate didn't hold back at all. She was currently hugging Fate's arm tightly to herself, only letting go when it was absolutely necessary for the blonde to use it.

Surprisingly, Nanoha wasn't too worried about that. She had other things on her mind. Just this morning, Admiral Lindy had called her house. Lindy had confirmed that the 'pervert' Nanoha had mentioned was at school is indeed related to the gang Fate had 'joined'. In fact, he was the leader of the gang. They called themselves The Numbers. Quattro and a few others were a part of this gang as well. Lindy had left out the rest saying it was confidential information, she had told her this part for her own safety.

Basically, Nanoha was more worried about the previous information because if Fate wasn't saved soon, then neither her nor Hayate could have Fate. _'I'm still going to win Fate over' _thought Nanoha.

"So it's decided. Fate will play Feito instead." Suzuka concluded writing it down.

"Well it only makes sense. After all, their names are so similar. And they both have long, smooth blonde hair." Hayate replied purposefully complimenting Fate.

_'Two can play that game.' _Nanoha thought openly glaring at Hayate. She made be worried about other things but she was not going to lose here. "Fate can run just as fast, no, faster than Feito." She shot back.

Hayate smirked back, accepting the challenge. "Fate is much smarter than Feito"

"She has a better personality than Feito."

"Fate's cuter."

_'Oh, she went there' _A fire type aura seemed to blaze around Nanoha after Hayate's previous statement. Even though it sort of terrified Hayate she knew she couldn't back down here. "Fate-"

"Shut up you two! You're like a bunch whining babies." Arisa shouted, silencing the two. Hayate smirked. She had gotten the last word in, therefore she had won. Meanwhile, Fate was madly blushing at all the compliments she received.

"She started it!" Nanoha complained like a child.

"I don't care! We came here to work on the script not argue over how Fate's better than Feito." Arisa huffed before sitting back down again and continuing on the script, everyone following her lead.

After about 15 or so minutes of nonstop working, Hayate remembered something. "The school's fall sports festival is coming up soon. The Student Council even came up with a name for it. Battalion 108. I don't know where the 108 came from, but it sounds cool."

"I wonder how a high school sports festival will be like." Suzuka wondered aloud.

"The Council was thinking that each homeroom could make a flag. I've already come up with an idea." Hayate added.

Nanoha was already thinking of ways to get back at Hayate after their first battle, and one had just presented itself. Because of the way the Student Council was set up, both the president and vice-president had to agree on an idea before it was presented to the class. With that in mind Nanoha would purposely reject any of Hayate's flag ideas. It may be childlike, but that didn't matter to Nanoha.

As if reading her mind, Hayate turned to ask Fate, "Would you help me with my idea. With your input, it's bound to be so good no one will reject." With that she turned to a flabbergasted Nanoha and smirked as if saying "You snooze you lose."

"Sure I can help. I've got some free time later on."

"Great."

"When are we going to decide what sports we are doing?" Arisa questioned.

"Probably next week." Hayate guessed.

**The Numbers' Hideout**

"Glad you could make it, Fate." Jail said noticing her presence in the room. With him were Quattro, Uno, Tre, and many others. The organization was having a formal meeting to discuss their next raid. "We've already decided where and when it's going to be."

"That's nice." Fate responded going back to her sarcastic demeanor. It was her way of keeping her emotions in check. The last thing she needed was for them to find something that makes her tick. "So...when is it?"

"Next week, and you're coming too." He explained.

"What? Why? I've never had to come before I only had to-" Fate started. She knew her involvement with The Numbers was bad enough, but any further involvement wouldn't help prove her innocence later on. _'Is that what he's hoping for?'_

"I know you've never done this before, but for this raid your speed and agility will come very much in handy." He smiled before continuing. "We're going after Riot Force 6's base."

Fate was beyond shocked. Riot Force 6 is the strongest unit this town had ever seen. They were one of the reasons crime had gone down a little over the past few years. It was common knowledge that if Riot Force 6 was put on your case, you were definitely going to be caught. "Are you crazy? I thought you wanted to be discreet about your criminal comeback." She nearly yelled.

"Watch your mouth!" Quattro shouted at her with an intense gaze.

"You mean you guys are okay with this? His stupid idea is going to land us all in jail!"

Instantly Fate realized the mistake in her words, especially in a group full of these people. She took a defensive step back, seeing a few of The Numbers' members advanced on her to show her a piece of their mind for disrespecting their leader. That is before Jail stopped them with a wave of his hand.

"I know it's risky, but that's why I'm doing it. It's the perfect way to show Uminari that I have returned. And it's completely possible as long as your there. I've done some research." Jail started to explain. "It seems Riot Force 6 only got better when Admiral Lindy became their overseer. Under her supervision, they started to get better and better. It's also come to my attention that they don't give them assignments unless Lindy is somewhat available, which leads me to the conclusion that they can't do anything without her."

Fate lifted a golden eyebrow skeptically. "And? They don't need Lindy there to know how to fire a gun."

"Yes, but if Lindy is there, they won't fire without her permission unless they have to. That's where you come in. It's your job to keep her occupied so that she can't give that order." Jail gazed right into her eyes to see if she was going to keep her end of the deal. "Just to remind you, I have Nanoha on constant watch."

The blonde sighed defeated. "What day and time?"

**School Time – Homeroom**

"It's that time of year again. The school's sports festival, Battalion 108, is undergoing preparation. This school wide event has been set up to promote school spirit and friendly competition." Hayate read-off the flyer. _'Though the competition part can sometimes get a little out of hand.'_ "Participation is mandatory and attendance will be taken. Good luck everybody and remember to have fun." She finished reading and looked up at the class explaining that they each had to pick an activity to compete in.

One by one the spots for each event were filled up. After awhile a blonde put up her hand. "Three-legged race."There was a quiet gasp in the room. Everyone had expected Fate to do long distance since she loved running. And if she won they'd gain the points from long distance which was one of the events with higher points. _'I'd like to do long distance, but it collides with Jail's raid." _Fate thought to herself ignoring the gasps from the class. She hated having to listen to him.

The two class representatives, however, had mixed feelings on the situation. Nanoha was happy while Hayate was...well not so happy. Hayate had decided to do 600m in hopes that Fate would cheer her on while she was running. Nanoha had chosen the three-legged race on a whim. Who knew it ended up being the right choice. She couldn't help but give a triumphant smirk in Hayate's direction.

_'Round two goes to me.'_

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**A/N: Yay it's finally here. After a month though... Well it's still here. Read and review please.**


	10. Just Getting Equipment Or Something Else

**A Time to Love**

_By: Revengest_

Summary: What is Nanoha to do when the one she loves might not feel the same way? And just when she decides it's time to confess, Nanoha's love interest disappears. When she comes back she has changed and brings another blue eyed brunette with her. What will Nanoha do?

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

"_Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**Thanks to all who are reading and reviewing. Thanks Shlabadak for telling me the name of the city. I've gone and fixed that now.**

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**Chapter 10: Just Getting Equipment Or Something Else?**

**School Time**

Hayate was walking down the hallways of TSAB High School, idly playing with a small envelope in her hand. The envelope contained roughly $100. It was given to her by the school expecting her to go and buy items for the sports festival specified by the list in her pocket. Ideally, she was supposed to ask her vice president, Nanoha, to go with her during lunch, but it wasn't mandatory and no one really cared. Besides, she had someone else she wanted to go with. And that she was who Hayate was currently looking for. After a while of fruitless searching, she found the blonde in the hallway holding a stack of papers.

"Fate!" Hayate called out to her friend rushing over to her. "What are you doing?"

**A Bit In The Past...**

"Fate, could you take these to the office?" Shamal asked fate.

"Yes of course." Fate briskly responded taking the papers from the teachers hands. She exited the room quietly closing the door behind her. She started down the hall to the office.

"Yo Fate." A a tallish boy yelled across the hallway.

Fate turned to see the one who called her. She instantly recognized the boy as one og Jail's subordinates.

"What do you want?" Fate asked glaring at him.

"Woah. Easy, easy. Jail just asked me to give this to you." He tossed a small black bag on top of the stack of papers. "It'll help during our heist."

"Fate!"

"Looks like I've got to go. See ya later." He added before rushing off

"What are you doing." Hayate asked.

Fate looked over to see the brunette running over. "I was taking these papers to the staff room for Shamal-sensei. You want to come?" The blonde finished punctuating her sentence will her signature smile As she tried to forget her previous encounter.

Hayate blushed seeing Fate smile at her like that. "Umm..ah.. yeah, sure." She stuttered looking away to hide her rose coloured cheeks. She followed the taller student in silence as they ventured through the large school. "Hey Fate would you like to go to the mall with me during lunch? I have to go buy some equipment for the sports festival and it's kinda lonely to go alone."

Fate glanced down at the brown haired girl in thought. She didn't have anything else to do during lunch. If anything she'd have to listen to Quattro's taunting about her current situation. It was then she wondered why she hadn't left school grounds to get away from it. They were high school students so there weren't any restrictions against it. _'Cause Nanoha wouldn't leave school grounds. _She thought to herself. And it was true. If she had left there'd be no opportunity to see Nanoha at all, even if it was from far off. That being said, she couldn't bring herself to say no to Hayate. It would be lonely to go by yourself.

"Sure! I'd love to come." Fate replied cheerily as she opened the door to the staff room. Entering, she gave the stack of papers to the teacher, remembering to take the black bag with her, and turned around to meet back up with Hayate.

The duo started walking back to class side by side. "We should meet each other at the school gate right after the bell rings, okay?" Hayate looked up at the blonde, confident that her blush had subsided.

"Yup. That's perfect."

**Lunch Time**

"Finally! Lunch! I thought that math class would never end!" Arisa exclaimed stretching her arms up before sitting down on the grass with her friends.

"It did seem like the longest class yet." Suzuka responded opening her own lunch.

"I didn't think it was that bad. Well most of it." Nanoha added. Hayate had been called down to the office after only after a few minutes of class. At this point anything that didn't include Hayate was a good thing to Nanoha. In fact, she took the opportunity to imagine Fate staring at her ignoring any of Hayate's advances. Although none this was happening since Fate was a diligent student who took notes in class, you can't blame her for imagining. Unfortunately, her imagining was cut short as Shamal had asked Fate to deliver some papers. This didn't majorly dampen her mood. Fate would be back.

Fate did indeed come back. Just not the way Nanoha was expecting, or wanted for that matter. It seemed Fate and Hayate had met up in the hall and decided to come back together. One look at Hayate's face and she knew something had happened. What exactly she couldn't tell, but she was determined to find out…after she finished her shortcake. It wasn't everyday Mrs. Takamachi would allow her daughter to take cake to school.

"At least we had it in the morning." Arisa returned starting to eat her lunch.

As the trio ate their lunch in relative silence, Nanoha spotted her rival, out of the corner of her eye, waiting by the entrance gate. The brunette found this quite odd since Hayate was always with friends. She continued to watch her rival who was leaning against the railing. And that's when she saw it. Beautiful flowing hair, long legs, attentive, deep wine-coloured eyes, and a figure unmatched by any. Fate Testarossa was running across the field in all her glory. Nanoha couldn't help but gape.

Unfortunately, the blonde was not coming towards Nanoha. Instead she turned to the awaiting Hayate. The two greeted each other before walking through the gates. But not before Hayate stole a glance back at Nanoha. Nanoha didn't need a second to understand what it meant. _"2-1 Nanoha."_

Our brunette didn't waste a minute. The shortcake could wait. She packed up her lunch, eyes never leaving the direction of Hayate, and hurried towards the gate, leaving her eating mates behind (though they already knew what she was most likely going to do). On her way over, she ran into a boy.

"Oh, Nanoha. What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Well…I was eating my lunch till a minute ago." She replied not sure if she fully understood the kid's question.

"No I mean shouldn't you be with Yagami-san? She's already gone to get stuff for the sports festival."

"I'm supposed to go with her?"

"Well that's what normally happens, but it isn't required." The boy answered with a shrug before walking off to catch up with his friends. "See ya then!"

"Bye." _"Well that explains a lot." _Nanoha thought. She had to admit, it was a good disguise for asking Fate out. Fate was just a helpful person at heart.

The brunette ran the rest of the way to make up for lost time. Since they had to buy things, it was obvious they were going to the nearby mall. Knowing this, Nanoha followed the path. Once she caught up, she was careful to be sneaky. After all, if Hayate could spot her from across a field, then there was no doubt she could catch sight of her here.

**Fate and Hayate…**

"So…what do we need to buy?" Fate asked breaking the silence. The two had been walking in a comfortable quiet, both not knowing what to say.

"I haven't really looked at the list yet." Hayate fished around her pocket for the paper she'd been given. _I have to do this right. We only have a little over an hour. Should we buy the items first or have fun first? Since I don't know how long it'll take, we should buy stuff first, then on our way back we could stop at various shops._ After finishing her train of thought, Hayate brought out the small slip of paper. Luckily for her and her plans, all the items were small and able to fit in one shopping bag, two at most.

"Streamers, tape, poster paper… (etc.)" Fate listed out loud. "How much do we have?"

"100 exactly, so we don't have to buy the cheap types." Hayate chose this time to move a little closer to the blonde. She glanced up and saw the blonde didn't mind. Taking this as a good sign, she took it a little further…well maybe a lot. She openly grabbed fate's right arm and pulled it closer to herself. Since Fate was taller Hayate's head only reached the shoulder of Fate's jacket. "*Aaahhh* It's getting chillier now that fall's almost ending. I'm lucky Fate's really warm." She announced hiding the true intention of her actions.

"Yeah winter's just around the corner isn't it." Fate replied awkwardly blushing madly. "Good thing the sports festival is sooner than later." She didn't know what to say or think about Hayate's actions. She wasn't an overly 'touchy feely' person. Before she met Nanoha, Arisa and Suzuka she was completely uncomfortable around people. But she couldn't really say no to Hayate's hug. Hayate was probably just a 'touchy feely' type of person.

_"Yes. She doesn't seem to mind. But I can't take it too fast. If she really does like Nanoha she'll just push me away once I go too far."_

The two ventured into the mall buying all the stuff on the list, a furious Nanoha not far behind. She wanted so badly to just walk in front of the two and make it seem like it was coincidence, but she knew that Fate and Hayate both knew that she wasn't the type of person to leave school property. Both would know that she was following them. She didn't want to seem like a stalker, although it's too late. She'd have to settle with observing to make sure Hayate didn't cross the line. Grabbing hold of Fate's arm was already a major violation.

"Hmm. Strange. You'd think it'd be in this aisle." Hayate thought aloud walking up and down the lane.

"I'll go check the next aisle over." Fate announced making her way over.

"Yeah, I'll check here again." The brunette responded turning around only to run into something. Or rather someone.

"What do you think you're doing?" Nanoha grilled staring straight at her classmate.

Hayate was surprised Nanoha had followed her all the way here. Though somewhere inside her she kind of knew she would. She gathered herself together to respond to Nanoha's question. "I'm looking for tape. You know the transparent type, though at this point any type of tape would be great." She replied evenly, going back to searching the racks.

"That's not what I mean! Why are you here with Fate?!" She screamed careful not to attract the attention of the blonde nearby.

"Like I said before, looking for tape."

"You're supposed to ask the vice president to go with you."

"Supposed to, not have to. I wanted to go with Fate, so I asked her. What's so bad about that?"

"I do not permit you to ask _my_ Fate-chan those types of questions!" She shouted back unaware of her possessiveness of fate.

"_Your _Fate? Fate doesn't belong to anyone. Especially not you. How could she belong to someone she hates?"

"She doesn't hate me. She's just in a hard place right now…" Nanoha trailed off thinking of the past few days.

"What kind of a hard place?" Hayate questioned Nanoha disbelievingly.

"It's not my place to say right now." She had told Arisa and Suzuka some details, but that was before it became more complicated. Even her best friends didn't know about Lindy's call the other day.

"Of course it isn't your place to say." Hayate rolled her eyes with her response turning back to look for the tape again.

Nanoha wanted to say something to prove to Hayate that she was right, but she couldn't.

"Found it!" Nanoha froze in her steps. Hayate silently scolded herself for forgetting about the consequences of this happening. It was the worst case scenario for Hayate for Fate to see Nanoha here.

"…Nanoha?..." Fate asked astonished. "What are you doing here?" _"Doesn't she only stay at school?"_

"Hey Fate-chan…I was just um… just…" Nanoha looked around quickly searching for an excuse. She grabbed the first thing she could. "Lead…I ran out? I guess…*Nyahaha*" Her hand instinctively moved to the back of her head rubbing it in an embarrassed fashion. "I just happened to meet Hayate here." _"I didn't want this type of coincidence to happen. I hope Fate doesn't think badly of me."_

"Oh I see." Fate said dropping the tape in the basket Hayate was carrying.

"Are you done too? We could go back to school together." Nanoha added. "_Nice one Nanoha. This'll stop Hayate and Fate-chan from going anywhere. Plus Fate doesn't seem weirded out by me." _She glanced over at Hayate and knew the other brunette knew her intentions. If Fate wasn't standing there, she would've stuck her tongue out at Hayate.

"Yeah, that was the last thing on the list."

The trio made their way to the check-out line and paid for their possessions. After the man bagged them Fate took the bags to carry back to school, leaving Hayate's hands free and Nanoha with a single packet of lead to put in her pocket.

As if the two were twins, the brunettes both asked to hold the bags for their blonde friend. Fate politely declined their offers no matter how persistent they got. From then on the whole walk back to school was made in complete silence with two fiery aura's competing from opposite sides of their affection.

Hayate did notice that Fate didn't seem particularly upset to have Nanoha with her. _I'll just have to step up my game._

**Meanwhile…**

"That's the third robbery this week and still no evidence!" A clearly exasperated police admiral yelled. "Are you sure there is no camera footage?"

"Well we found this…" an intimidated police officer offered posting it up on the screen. It showed a black figure holding a can of spray paint. The figure spray painted the words 'BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME ADMIRAL' on the wall.

Admiral Lindy knew for a fact it was Jail's group. No other criminal group had such a deep rivalry with the admiral ranked officer. But the cloaked figure was not enough to go by. It could be anyone. A boy or girl between the ages of 15-25 with an average body build. She wanted to relate it to one of Fate's classmates, but the robbery was done during school hours and they were recorded as being present during class. Besides this footage, there was no other evidence of the robbery. If only she could ask Fate where Jail's hideout was, but since Nanoha was being used against her, it was unlikely Fate would reveal anything. Even if she gave Nanoha police protection, Fate would get blamed by Jail for the police finding out about someone watching Nanoha. She was so close to getting Fate out of her situation, yet so far.

_"Just you wait Jail Scaglietti."_

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**A/N: Another chapter and within the same month too. I'm proud of myself for getting this done and it's over 2000 words. Again thanks for all the reviews. I'm happy to have reached 50. Please continue to review please.**


	11. Fate's True Feelings, And What Happened

**A Time to Love**

_By: Revengest_

Summary: What is Nanoha to do when the one she loves might not feel the same way? And just when she decides it's time to confess, Nanoha's love interest disappears. When she comes back she has changed and brings another blue eyed brunette with her. What will Nanoha do?

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

"_Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**Thanks to all who are reading and reviewing.**

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**Chapter 11: Fate's True Feelings, What Happened That Day?**

**School Time…**

It was Tuesday afternoon which meant it was 1-D's turn to work on setting up the sports festival. There were only two more days till the sports festival and the students were busy decorating the halls, fields and track for the upcoming event. The schoolchildren had divided up the work and had chosen to work in groups consisting of their friends. Of course this was true for three others as well.

Nanoha, Hayate and Fate ended up working in the same group. At first it was a one man group with Fate putting up streamers to line the ceiling of the hallway. It was when Fate had reached for some more of the decorations that Hayate had appeared, being the helpful president she was. And it was then that Nanoha's sensors went off and she knew that Hayate was up to something. So, the brunette decided to ease herself into the ongoing conversation between Hayate and _her_ blonde as she had put it on several occasions.

"This doesn't make any sense. This festival is for us students, but we have to do all the work while the teachers just 'supervise'." Hayate stated pointing at Shamal-sensei who engaged in some conversation with a fellow teacher. "You know what's even worse? _We_ still have to take everything down afterwards!"

"Well at least one class doesn't have to do everything." Fate reached down asking for some tape. Nanoha responded before Hayate could blink giving the blonde the requested item. Her haste caused their two's hands to brush against each other producing a blush from both of them. Hayate noticed the touch and decided to continue the conversation to get both their heads off what had just happened. Plus she would make sure she was prepared for next time.

"They should make the losing class have to do clean up. That way there is an incentive to win." The rival casually suggested hoping the conversation would go in the direction she was wanting.

"What if our class lost? We'd have to do all the clean-up." Nanoha replied instantly shooting the idea down.

"There's no way we could lose. Especially since Fate is on our side. If she chose to do the long distance, that'd be a major point booster!" Hayate was originally planning to let the blonde's earlier decision go, but she couldn't let such an opportunity go to waste. "Come on Fate. It'd be a big help."

Nanoha opened her mouth to object, but soon closed it after. She knew how much Fate loved running. Since she was also in the three-legged race, she felt as if she was holding Fate back from what she truly desired.

As Nanoha was in deep thought, she failed to notice the blonde's discreet gaze at her. Fate could tell something was troubling her friend and she had to find out what it was. She started to descend the ladder.

"Hey pres., we need your help over here!" a boy shouted from down the hall. Hayate grumbled at having to leave the blonde, but for now, duty calls. Meanwhile, Nanoha was smiling. Being the Vice-President was great. You had the same responsibilities, but fewer obligations to be in charge. Still musing over her small victory, Nanoha once again did not realize Fate's actions. That is until the blonde grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the hallway and into the nearest bathroom.

"W-what? Fate-chan?" Nanoha asked confused. Never had Fate been so forward.

"Is there something bothering you?" Fate asked quickly.

"What? I don't understand." The brunette asked still confused.

"After what Hayate said about me going for track, you seemed to be thinking hard about something. What is it?"

"Oh…well…um…" Nanoha hesitated. She knew what the right thing to do was, but she still wanted to do the race with Fate. "I was thinking that maybe you should go for long distance instead. You know…to help the class win…"

_Is that it?_ It was true that Fate wanted to do long distance, but she couldn't risk missing Jail's raid. She had figured that Jail was being lenient with her meeting with Nanoha since she had agreed to the raid. That didn't mean she could skip out on it. So instead she replied with, "Then who's going to do the race with you?" It was allowed to participate in more than one event, the max being two; however the two events happened at the same time. Although, the three-legged race started earlier.

"I could always find someone else who's not busy." Nanoha reassured her, barely looking her in the eyes. "I don't want to hold you back from something you like." The brunette didn't know of Fate's previous engagement, so she felt it was her fault for the blonde choosing this race instead.

"Nanoha." Fate had a firm grip on the other's shoulders, "You could never be holding me back. Choosing to do the race was my decision, not yours, so don't feel like you're holding me back." The blonde stated with both honesty and seriousness. It was a seriousness that told Nanoha not to doubt her words.

And that's when something very surprising. Something the brunette thought would never happen, more so now considering Fate predicament. Fate leaned in and kissed Nanoha on the lips. It wasn't a friendly gesture nor was it a quick peck like one from a mother. It was a long deep passionate kiss with all the blonde's emotions flowing through it.

To say Nanoha was shocked would be selling it short. Her eyes initially widened in surprise to Fate's sudden gesture, but then she closed them slightly, accepting the kiss and Fate's feelings, putting her own into the kiss too.

It was Fate that broke the kiss first. She removed herself from the person who had her heart and stared deep into her eyes. She found no rejection in them and for that she was happy. "If you really want me too, I can still do long distance. I'll just have someone stall the race for me."

The brunette was dumbstruck and could only nod a little in reply. It had never occurred to her that Fate may have liked her in the same way that she liked her. And in 'like', she, of course, meant love. Nanoha, with a dumb smile of bliss on her face, followed the blonde out of the washrooms and through the halls back to where they were working. She barely paid attention as Fate walked up to Hayate and told her about her new decision. Hayate was elated by the news. So much so, that she failed to notice the look on Nanoha's face. It was a look that would definitely stay for the rest of the day.

**Secret Hideout…**

A set of quiet footsteps echoed through the hallways. Quattro briskly made her way down the walkway to meet up with Jail. Entering the main room, she spotted him hunched over a layout of Riot Force 6's base.

"And what brings you here?" Jail, not even bothering to lift his head, asked.

"Fate kissed Nanoha." She stated getting straight to the point.

"So Fate finally made a move, huh. Well good for her?"

The double braided girl raised an eyebrow at the response of her boss. "I thought you didn't want Fate talking with Nanoha. That way we know that she's fulfilling her part. Doesn't this count as a breach of that?"

The purple haired man sighed before circling a part of the schematics with his highlighter. "Yes, that is true, but she already agreed to accompany us to Riot Force 6's base. And I know her well enough to know that she won't go back on her word."

"I see," Quattro sighed understanding Jail's logic, "Too bad for Hayate. She's missed her chance."

"Hayate?" Jail looked up confused. "Who's that may I ask?"

"You know the one that was with Fate during the car crash." The girl explained.

"Oh yes, her. I should thank her. If it wasn't for her stepping into the street, I would have never met Fate, and none of this would have worked."

**_Flashback…_**

"It was hilarious! He was literally begging her at the end." A dirty blonde haired girl explained using hand gestures to further exaggerate her point. At her story's end, the group she was walking with all laughed. It was a rare occasion that the entire group of friends were able to hang out together, and they hadn't wasted this opportunity. It had started with a trip to the mall, then the arcade, and some karaoke.

"Ah, here's my turn off." A brunette, known as Hayate, called out in between her fit of giggles. Unfortunately, with all the fun she had been having on her way home, she was unable to identify the danger of walking into the street during a blinking hand sign. Half way through the street, she turned to give a final good-bye to her friends. And that's when it happened. They were all yelling and shouting her name and waving their arms frantically. The brunette didn't understand them further than them trying to get her attention, so she confusedly cocked her head to the side. It was at that moment that the word 'car' registered in her mind and she realized what they meant.

A car was coming at her full speed. She couldn't react. She was frozen to the spot in shock and fear. Hayate could only stand there and wait for the inevitable. A flash of blonde in her peripherals stopped that from being the outcome. She was abruptly shoved aside, leaving her saviour in the car's path while in mid-air. _"You can't dodge something while in the air."_ Hayate instantly noted. Luckily, the car was able to swerve out of the way at the last minute, catching the blonde's side instead of her legs, but winded up hitting a light post instead. The two girls landed on the asphalt and skid a fair distance.

Meanwhile, in the shadows, a man looked on at the scene intrigued.

Hayate was speechless. Mere seconds ago she thought she was a goner. And yet, here she was still alive thanks to this girl on top of. Speaking of whom, the teen hadn't moved at all.

"H-hey, are you alright?" Hayate asked hesitantly.

Suddenly, the girls head snapped up to reveal the most beautiful girl Hayate had ever seen. Deep yellow hair, a face, though it had a few scratches, that was flawless, and bottomless red eyes. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Feeing okay?" The blonde, Fate, bombarded her with questions barely giving her time to answer.

Hayate nodded and shook her head to each of the frantic blonde's question. As she finished answering the questions, she felt a strange warmness on her hand. The brunette raised her palm to her face and stared worriedly at it. It was covered in blood. "You're bleeding?" It was a question that she already knew the answer to. "We need to get you help!" At that moment, Hayate snapped out of her near-death-experience daze. "I'm fine." Her companion assured, but Hayate wasn't buying it. The girl had just saved her life, she wasn't going to let her lose hers due to blood loss. She searched for the source of the blood and found it at the blonde's side, the blood seeping into the taller girl's clothes. Finding the wound, she immediately applied pressure. Hayate turned to look at her friends who were still in shock, and told them to call 9-1-1.

Of course, somebody already had moments later, blaring sirens could be heard. It was an organized chaos as the emergency services worked quickly, but effectively. The police sealed the area off and made sure important witnesses stayed on scene. The ambulance stopped nearby and men and women exited from the back. They took control of checking Fate's body and told Hayate well done for applying pressure on the wound. One then went over to check on the brunette and treated her minor cuts and burns. Eventually, the EMS were done with taking care of Fate for now and suggested she take it easy and sit down. The blonde decided to take a spot near Hayate.

"Hey, I'm Fate." She kindly introduced herself.

"Hayate." She breathed a sigh of relief once she saw Fate was okay. "Thanks for saving me. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here right now." She admitted.

"No problem. I'm glad I could help." Fate gave a wide, bright smile.

*ba-dump* Hayate was sure her heart just skipped a beat at the sight. Or did it gain one? She wasn't sure, but she knew what it meant and she whole heartedly accepted it. She loves Fate. From there, the two talked and talked to the point where they could call each other friends. They even exchanged phone numbers. They were uninterrupted by friends (Hayate's friend had been ushered behind the yellow tape since the police had gotten the information that they need from them), Ems, or police. Well…that is until Lindy shows up.

"Fate, are you okay?!" The teal haired woman asks gripping the other's shoulders like no tomorrow.

"Yeah I'm fine. It was just a big scratch. I didn't need stitches or anything. It looked worse than it was. Luckily Nanoha isn't here. She'd be freaking out completely." Fate laughed at the thought of her friend seeing her hurt.

_"Fate has such a cute laugh…and who the heck is Nanoha."_

"I guess she would. She cares about you a lot doesn't she?" Lindy laughed.

_"This Nanoha seems like a rival…"_

"By the way, why are you here? I thought you'd be in your office." Fate asked curiously.

"I was patrolling nearby, when I heard the call over the police scanner. Thought I'd drop by to make sure everything was going okay. I'm glad I did too, seeing as you are here." Lindy explained. She then turned her attention to the brunette sitting adjacent. "Hello, I'm Admiral Lindy of the Uminari City Police and a family friend of Fate here. It's nice to meet you." She extended her hand to Hayate and the other shook it acceptingly.

"Admiral, we need you over here." "Looks like I have to go. I'll let your mom know about this. She's probably worried why you aren't home yet. Bye."

The two teenagers watched the woman leave then turned to face each other. For a moment they just stared at each other not knowing what to talk about. Then they exploded in a burst of giggles. A little while after, a doctor came up and took Hayate to the side to check up on her one last time.

"Hello," Fate turned to look at the man standing in front of her. If she was standing the man would still be taller than her. He had shoulder length purple hair and a sketchy air about him. Fate was skeptical about the guy, but he was wearing a lab coat. He must be a doctor…right?

"Uhm…hi." Fate replied back.

"I've come to check up on you again. You know, just to make sure." Once Fate nodded he continued. "Name and age, please?"

"Fate Testarossa 15."

"Okay, tell me how you feel." He stated pretending to take down notes.

"Fine. I don't feel any different." The blonde replied back. The purple haired man nodded and took down some notes again. It was quiet for a length of time.

"I'm not a fan of dead air, so…It seems you know the Admiral." The man started.

"Yeah she's a family friend of mine. I've known her since I was 8."

"You get in trouble with the law?" The man asked, looking up from his sheet.

"No, my mom and her go way back. High school maybe. Apparently they weren't too friendly with each other and they-" Fate stopped when she realized she was giving a little too much.

Noticing the blonde stop, the man decided it was time to go. He bent down to check her leg and nodded at what he found. "You're good. The cut's pretty much healed. Take it easy on that leg just to be safe." And with that he left. Fate kept a curious gaze on him.

"Fate!" Hayate called coming back from the direction she left. Hearing Hayate, Fate turned to look at the oncoming brunette. Unfortunately, if she had kept looking at the suspicious man she may have noticed him smirking as he left the crime scene.

*ring, ring* "Hello?"

"Quattro I need you to follow somebody. I've found the perfect person. She even knows Lindy." The man's smile broadened as he hung up.

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**A/N: So this is the second last (or maybe third last. Don't know yet) chapter of A Time To Love. Longest chapter ever as well. In the next Chapter is for sure when Jail's raid is going to happen. I'll try to post it quickly (2-3 weeks). Read and review please.**


	12. Sports Festival

**A Time to Love**

_By: Revengest_

Summary: What is Nanoha to do when the one she loves might not feel the same way? And just when she decides it's time to confess, Nanoha's love interest disappears. When she comes back she has changed and brings another blue eyed brunette with her. What will Nanoha do?

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

"_Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**Thanks to all who are reading and reviewing.**

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY ElementalMiko12. HOPE YOU HAD A GOOD ONE.**

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**Chapter 12: Sports Festival**

**In A Hideout…**

"Finally the time has come." Jail stood in the middle of the room facing his underlings as he ranted on. To him, this was a very important day. "Today is the day when I exact my revenge on Admiral Lindy. She destroyed my dreams for underground conquest of Uminari before, but this time things are different. We have secret weapon on our side." He laughs maniacally _"I hope Lindy arrives on time. This will be so much sweeter if I get to see her shocked face. It's my win this time, Lindy."_

**At School…**

TSAB high school was bustling with excitement. After all, today was the long-awaited Sports Festival. The school's main entrance was fully decorated with vibrant colors. The track and field had also been cleaned up as well. A majority of the students were now in the change room changing into their gym strip while others had decided to come dressed already.

Nanoha and Fate moved about the change room getting ready for their competitions as well. Nanoha was changing slower than normal. Mostly because she couldn't keep her mind off of Fate. The scene from last day was stuck on repeat and she wasn't going to do anything to make it stop. "Fate…" She breathed dreamily.

"Hmm?" Fate asked looking back at Nanoha.

"What?...Oh…um…nothing…I was just thinking about…stuff." She stuttered quickly trying to cover up what she was thinking of.

Fate only smiled in response to, in her opinion, a scene of cuteness from Nanoha. In turn, the brunette blushed deeply in reply.

After changing, the duo headed out to watch Hayate's race. They make their way over to the stands and find a spot next to Arisa and Suzuka. Hayate was competing in the 400m race and was currently stretching on the track. She turned toward the stand to see Fate and Nanoha sitting next to each other. Though this did upset her, she understood winning Fate over would just need a little more work. And like Vita said Nanoha had a whole year (if not more) of knowing Fate meaning the blonde was more comfortable around her. But saving someone's life made up for that right? Well anyway for the time being, she displayed a bright grin and excited hand wave. Which Fate replied of course with a wave of her own and a loud good luck. For her Fate's support was more than enough. Now she only had to do Fate proud.

"On your marks." The competitors walked up to line doing some finally stretching. "Get set." They dropped down to the floor. Some into starting blocks, others on their knees. Hayate chose to the use the blocks. _"There here to help me, so why not?"_ The teacher rose up a blank gun and did a last check to make sure no one was ahead of the line. *bang* They were off. Since it was only once around the track it was full on sprint. Who could last the longest at full speed? Hayate was in the middle of the group. There were two stragglers and one who was slightly faster than the rest. The Hubbub was loud. Though surprisingly, she could hear her own footsteps and constant hard breathing over everything.

"You can do it Hayate!" One shout broke out over the rest. For a brief second, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fate in the stands. Yelling out to her. _"Just me." _That thought was enough to drive her forward. _"200m left. It's now or never." _ With new-found strength, she surged forward and caught up to the guy in front. Of course he was reluctant to let his lead go. Hayate wasn't about to lose now. With the last 100m to go she pushed forward. _"I can have a break later."_

*ribbon at finish line rips* "Yeah!"The crowd yells.

Hayate staggers onto the grass and collapses to her back closing her eyes. Her pants are short, quick and labored. After regaining some of her energy, she slowly opens her eyes to see a whole class standing around her. Her gaze caught deep red ones and saw her smiling widely. "How'd I do?" She asked no one in particular.

"Congratulations. 1st place." The class then erupted in cheers and helped her up giving her pats on the back and 'good job' here and there.

Once the class dispersed, Hayate made her way over to Fate. "Nice job, Hayate. You were really good out there." Fate complimented. "mhmm. You sure were fast out there." Suzuka agreed, the other nodding.

"It hanks to your guys. If it weren't for you cheering I wouldn't have been able to do it. Especially you Fate. I heard yours the loudest."

"Well I like supporting my friends." Fate replied sheepishly.

_"Well she admits she's my friend out loud. That's something. But I want more than that."_

**Later…**

"Would all participants in the three-legged race please make their way to the field to collect a ribbon for the race." A voice announced on the intercom.

"That's us." Nanoha stated to Fate. The two made their way to the field and received their ribbon to tie their legs together. "Should we tie this on now so we get used to it or wait?"

"Now's fine. I've never done a race like this before. So some practise would help."

"Never? Really?" Nanoha asked tying the ribbon around their inner most ankle

"At my old school, before I transferred, they never did stuff like this. I'm pretty happy my first time is with you."

Nanoha exploded in red. That last statement sounded…different to her…She shook her head of the thought. Fate didn't mean it _that_ way. She needed to calm down. If she wanted to win this thing with Fate she needed a clear mind.

Finishing tying the ribbon, She stood up and examined her work. "Well the trick to this is to go slowly rather than quickly, though once we get a good rhythm we can speed up." She explained.

"Okay, that makes sense." Fate took an experimental step with her outside foot followed by her foot connected with Nanoha. Nanoha mimics her motions and they succeed in their first step. The brunette couldn't help but notice the smile on Fate's face at their small achievement. It was contagious and Nanoha smiled too.

"Three-legged race entrants, please make your way to the track. And would all long distance runners start to make your way to the track."

Nanoha then remembered that the two races overlap. As much as she hated depending on Hayate, she had to. It was Hayate's race to stall long distance till Fate arrived. _"We have to make this quick."_ The duo carefully made their way to the starting line on the field and chose a lane for themselves.

"On your mark, Get set-" "Wait!" Another group of two came up beside the blonde and the brunette. "Sorry we're late." They apologized. One of the two bent down to tie their own ribbon. _"You've got to be kidding me. They haven't even tied their ribbon yet." _Nanoha thought to herself angrily. These two were wasting time. Time Fate didn't have.

"Oh sorry. This one seems to small." He laughed standing up to get another one. He was leisurely taking his time to make his way over to the table. Well, until he felt a chilling feeling down his back. With this feeling he felt the need to move slightly faster. Little did he know that if he chose to continue with his original pace, he would've suffered harsh consequences by Nanoha herself. "Okay ready."

"On your marks, get set, go!" The teacher announced firing a blank. The teams took off or rather stumbled off. Some seemed to get into their rhythm quickly and took an early lead.

"This feels kind of weird funny almost." Fate commented laughing at the awkwardness of it.

"Yeah I agree." The two continued to take one step at time. To make up for their lack of speed, they made long strides instead.

"Hey Nanoha, can I tell you something?" Fate suddenly asked out of the blue.

"Uh sure." Nanoha had no clue what the blonde was planning on telling her.

"Remember what happened in the bathroom the other day?" The blonde asked cautiously. Nanoha lost her rhythm for a moment causing them to stumble a little.

"Yeah…I remember." Her face instantly turned red, the memory pooping up once again.

"I don't know if I'll have a time to tell you this later so I'm telling you know. The kiss in the bathroom I meant it. All of it. Nanoha Takamachi I love you."

*crash*

The two fell to the ground with a big thud. The sudden confession had made Nanoha lose her rhythm completely. Causing her to fall taking Fate with her. She couldn't think straight. It was such a…blissful moment for her. What she had wanted for the longest of times was being given to her. She couldn't begin to express how happy she was.

"Are you okay?" Fate asked Nanoha, brushing her some grass and dirt off her. She then proceeded to help her stand up.

"Yeah I'm fine. I'm just…happy." Fate's concerned look quickly brightened into grin which turned into a hug.

"You don't know how happy I am to hear you say that." Neither of the two cared that people might be watching nor that the race was already over. It was just the two of them.

After their embrace they finished the race with a bright smile totally enjoying the last place victory. After all, you still got participatory points. After the brief celebration the two hurried over to the track where Hayate was standing around.

"Thanks for stalling." Fate stated panting a bit from their run over. "To tell you the truth I expected something bigger."

"Bigger is my signature style, but this time a little borrowing also works." She took out the blank gun from her pocket and yelled, "Found it.", to the teacher in charge. Hayate was glad she had helped Fate, but she would have rather seen Fate and Nanoha's race. Something seemed different about the two, Nanoha especially. She couldn't tell what, but she knew it had to do with their race. She would have to find out what went down.

"Sorry for the wait, but we've finally found the blank gun thanks to Hayate-san." Fate could only smile at the irony. "On your marks, get set, *bang*"

Once again the gun sounded and another group was off. Many came to watch the race as it was a true showing of determination, speed, and stamina. This long distance was 1000m meaning it would last 6 minutes total, but everyone knew it would be over long before that…or would it. Fate seemed to be in the back half of the group. It didn't look like she was struggling , but she was panting hard already. The viewers were surprised indeed.

"You know," Hayate comments to Nanoha, "if Fate hadn't done the three-legged race, then she would be at full potential."

Nanoha couldn't respond. It was true nevertheless. She felt bad for limiting Fate like this. _"You could never be holding me back. Choosing to do the race was my decision, not yours, so don't feel like you're holding me back."_ She remembered Fate's word. She recalled the way looked at her, and knew Fate would be upset if she was thinking like this. She gritted her teeth and stood up from her seat. "GO FATE! YOU CAN DO THIS! ALL THE WAY!"

Hayate jumps in her seat surprised from Nanoha's outburst. Nanoha's shouting reminded her of motivation and how the cheering had helped her. She got up to trying to yell louder than Nanoha. Between the two of them, everything was a competition.

Fate looked up and saw the two brunettes cheering for her. She couldn't let them down. Gradually she increased her speed and caught up to first place. Once behind him, she used him to draft. During the final stretch she pulled out in front and created a gap between the two. *Ribbon ripping*

Every spectator cheered after witnessing the amazing comeback. Again the class of 1-D surrounded the winner and gave her 'good job' as well. Nanoha stayed back not wanting to be part of the small chaos going on around Fate now. Instead she'd give Fate a personal well done. Though as the crowd thinned Fate was nowhere to be seen.

**Police station…**

"Dang it Jail. I'm not going to lose to you." Lindy mumbled to herself as she continued look at Jail's previous raids and break-ins. There had to be a pattern. She knew Jail was a prideful man. He'd want Lindy to be there when he pulled his biggest raid. But there was only one problem. Where was it taking place? She needed to find out quickly so she could prepare ahead of time and stop Jail once again. She stared at the map of the places that had been hit. At this point she was hoping that the answer would just pop out at her. The surprising thing is that it did.

If you traced the building that had been hit in the order that they had been hit you would have drawn the number 6. _"Riot Force 6." _She thought. She understood now. Jail wouldn't be satisfied unless he beat her at her best and with her best. "Tom, alert Riot Force 6 of an attack most likely today. Tell them I'll be arriving there soon and they should be fully equipped. We don't know what Jail has planned for us."

It then occurred to her that Jail might have Fate planned for them. "Jill, call the school ask if Fate is there." She ordered starting to suit up.

"Yes, she at school attending the sports festival." Lindy nodded toward Jill and brought out her own phone. She dialed Nanoha.

"Nanoha is Fate with you now?" She asked quickly grabbing her keys and leaving the building. _"She was here but I've lost sight of her. Is something wro-"_ The brunette didn't get the chance to finish as Lindy had cut the call already. She dialed up a new number. "Precia, is Fate at Home?" _"No she's at school now. Any reason?"_ was the reply. "Shoot." Lindy said out loud starting the car. "If she come home you need to keep her there for as long as possible." She ended the call again and drove off toward Riot Force 6 headquarters. "I have to get there before Fate does something irreversible. Jail, this ends today."

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**A/N: Sooo...Remeber how I said the raid would happen this time? I do. But this part ended up to long so it came out as a chapter instead. But I'm not kidding this time when I say Jail's raid is next week. No joke. In fact I have it written out already. Sorry about that. I feel like I'm prolonging the i****nevitable****. It'll be out soon though.**


	13. Lindy vs Jail

**A Time to Love**

_By: Revengest_

Summary: What is Nanoha to do when the one she loves might not feel the same way? And just when she decides it's time to confess, Nanoha's love interest disappears. When she comes back she has changed and brings another blue eyed brunette with her. What will Nanoha do?

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

"_Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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***Important Please read before continuing***

**The following Chapters depicts Jail's raid. I'm no expert on how to perform a perfect raid, so this may come out as totally impossible and unreal. Please keep that in mind while reading. Thank you. Also this will be the last update for A Time to Love. It's completely finished with a three chapter update. I'd like to thank all those who have read this story and your support through reviewing and following. It kept me going this whole time. **

**Thanks to all who are reading and reviewing. **

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**Chapter 13: Lindy vs. Jail**

**In The Street…**

Fate was running home. She felt annoyed at herself for forgetting such an important thing. The small black bag that the boy in school had given her was still at home. She had opened it at home that day to find instructions on how the heist was going to go and what exactly she needed to do. The directions were fairly simple. Her job was just to be there and basically get in the way of most of the officers. But it was the other paper inside it that she needed. It was blueprint of Riot Force 6's base and how to get in undetected.

Reaching her house, the blonde took out her keys and unlocked the door. She rushes through the living and catches a glimpse of her mother, Precia Testarossa, sitting and reading a book. She stops for a moment and says a simple 'hello', before continuing her quest.

Precia, however, is surprised to see Fate at home. School wasn't closed yet. _"This must be what Lindy was talking about."_ She follows her daughter upstairs and finds her frantically throwing her things looking for something or other. "How come you're not at school?"

"I forgot something." Was the quick reply. The blonde moved to another side of the room and resumed her search there.

"It's the Sport Festival today. You don't need anything do you?" The dark-haired woman countered.

"Yes, but this is very important." It then occurs to the blonde that she can ask her mother for help. She'd just have to stop her from looking inside. "Have you seen a black bag that is small enough to fit in your hand? That's what I'm looking for."

"No I haven't." As if by fate, the bag that the blonde had requested for was spotted by her mother. It was under a pile of clothes which Fate had carelessly thrown. Shuffling over, Precia inconspicuously leaned down and picked it up. As she picked it up it made a slight crumpling sound indicating there was paper inside. Shrugging, Precia stuffed it into her pocket and continues to watch her frantic daughter. _"I don't completely understand what Lindy meant, but I'll just have to trust her."_

**At School...**

"Have you seen Fate?" "Not since her race." The brunette was persistent with her search. Nanoha had started since the mysterious disappearance of the blonde. Not only did she want to congratulate the blonde, but also tell Fate how she felt about her since she never got the chance to tell her. It was then an idea came to her. She took out her phone and called Lindy…nobody picked up. She then dialed Fate. After a few rings it went into voice mail. "Ah um this is Nanoha. I was just wondering where you went. I'm getting a little worried. Call me back soon." She sighed and continues her search.

**Riot Force 6 Base…**

The admiral just arrived at the base and was quickly making her way inside. Checking her phone, she sees a missed call from Nanoha. Shaking her head sadly she pockets it away. Entering the command center she is promptly saluted by the occupants and she takes a moment to salute back as well. Taking a seat she inspects the security cameras and spots no irregularities. Sighing in relief, she faces the base's staff. "It seems Jail hasn't gotten here yet and I'd like to keep it that way. Tighten the security and prepare your guns. Fire only if necessary and preferably keep him alive. Also, a teenager with blonde hair will likely show up. Take her down unharmed. As well tell all personnel that do not handle weapons are to leave the premises. Understood?" "Yes!" "Try to get some extra officers here too."

The officers left to take their posts leaving behind the command center people to further manage the operations. "We need 3 more people stationed at entrance C, remember fire only if needed, we want to bring them down alive." Lindy carefully observed the operations making sure everything was guarded. All the while she couldn't help thinking this was her fault. If only she had been able to arrest Jail the last time, none of this would have happened. Fate would have never gotten involved.

An officer's question snapped Lindy out of her self loathing. "What exactly is Jail after? Sure we have some powerful weapons but that's about it. Jail could get those anywhere."

Lindy gazed at the officer in thought. Not many people knew of the secret that lied in RF6 base, that included some of the people who worked here. It wasn't a terrible secret or anything but it would definitely be bad if it landed in the wrong hands. "It's called a Jewel Seed. A single one holds immense power. It's estimated to be able to power a whole city for at least 10 years. Scientists speculate there are at about 20 dormant around Japan. The thing is, activating a dormant one can cause huge amounts of destruction. RF6 found one that had already been active here in Uminari during one of its stakeouts. We were worried it might cause some damage if we moved it to far, so we kept it in here. If he had it he could sell it for millions. Some might be willing to pay billions for it. We can't let Jail get his hands on it."

The officer was completely shocked that something so unstable was near where he worked every day. "But how is he going to move it. It's dangerous right."

"It is dangerous to move it, but not impossible. We didn't take that risk for the safety of Uminari. Jail might have some sort of container. At least I hope he does." It then occurred to her if Jail was shot and his container was not suitable the Jewel Seed would drop and would set off an explosion. Should she tell them or not? If she did it may cause a hesitance in the officers and if she didn't she could lose lives.

**Somewhere Nearby…**

"Damn it! Where is she?" To say Jail was frustrated would be an understatement. He was beyond infuriated. The key part of his plan was missing._ "If she doesn't show up soon I'll be forced to go in without her."_ Jail only had a small window of opportunity for his plan to work and he wasn't going to miss it because of a delay. On the other hand, if he did go without Fate he wouldn't get his complete victory over Lindy. He planned on rubbing it in the Lindy couldn't protect Fate. Jail was going to guilt trip her. If she couldn't save on teenager from a life of crime, then how did she expect to protect an entire city.

**At the Testarossa Household…**

Precia was finding the scene in front of her comical. Fate was rushing from one side of the room to the other. Her search method had started out somewhat organized but over the course of a few minutes, it had become frantic. The blonde was throwing anything she could get her hands on into the air. Precia was sure that if Fate really tried now, she could over turn her bed. "Now this is entertaining. I've never seen you so frustrated in a very long time."

Fate slowly turns around to gaze at her mother, slightly irritated. "Well…I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." The blonde then notices the slight bulge in her mother's pocket. Fate stood up and made her way over to her mother. "But I think we can put an end to this 'entertaining' search." She quickly grabs the bag from the pocket and rushes out the room to the front door.

It took Precia a moment to realize what had happened. She quickly rushed to the banister and yelled at Fate. "Hey! Come back here and clean your room!" It was an attempt to keep her daughter here longer. An attempt that failed.

"Sorry mother, I've got to hurry." She replied closing the door behind her. Fate ran a few blocks before coming to a stop and looking into the bag. She opened up the folded piece of paper and stared at it in shock. It was true that she had looked at it before, but she hadn't paid real attention to the plan at first. Looking at it now, she wished she had. She would've had more time to prepare.

**Back to Somewhere Nearby…**

Jail had decided to go on without Fate._ "She'll pay dearly for this. Or rather Nanoha will."_ He signals to his underlings to start. Two of his men got up and opened up a manhole nearby. Sure it was a step back in raiding strategies, but it would get the job done in this case. The manhole hadn't been used in years. Uminari had rerouted the sewage to the new water treatment plant leaving this one free, but still a little smelly. The smell was a small price to pay. A little stench was nothing compared to rolling in dough.

After a few minutes of walking, they heard some running water. It was their signal that they were close. They were now directly under RF6. The water in front of them was from the waste water in RF6. The group of 4 slowly crept along the walls careful not to fall in. Eventually they came to a ladder. One of the men from before climbed on. When he reached a metal grate, he took out a spray bottle and squirted its contents on the edges of the grate. After some sizzling the man pushed on the grate and it popped right off. He signalled to the others and they followed him up the ladder.

Crawling through the gap they regrouped in RF6's bathroom. "Wow how stupid of them." Quattro commented. They protect everything but here. Well, I don't blame them." *creak* Right after Quattro made her statement, the door opened to reveal…a custodian.

"Right on time." Jail smiled.

**Command Center…**

"Nothing at entrance A, G, E, or H." The whole base was hard at work monitoring everything to make sure nothing happened. Security cameras were constantly being checked, status reports were updated every minute, but still no sign of Jail or his group. For Lindy this was the hard part. She had to wait. It was the one thing that Jail was able to control, when the chase started. She wanted to take down Jail immediately. A thought then occurred to her. Had she been wrong in where Jail would strike next? No, Lindy knew Jail was prideful and full of revenge. He'd want to rub his victory in. And the best way to do it would be to abscond with the Jewel Seed right when she was watching. Lindy decided to take a look around herself.

**With Fate…**

She took a look at the plan. Fate had reached the ladder. By now she figured Jail had gone on without her, but maybe she could get points for attempted participation. For the next part of the plan she was supposed to dress up like a custodian. It said the custodian would be there upon arrival. She ascended the steps and pushed on the grate. Hauling herself up she was met with a very clean bathroom. It's only impurity would be the blood on the wall. _"Wait…blood?"_ Fate took a double take and followed the blood line to see what she guessed was the custodian. Now she was sure that Jail went on ahead. She rushed over to check if he was alright. By the looks of it, he'd been slammed against the wall causing the gash on the back of his head. Then they had borrowed his clothes leaving him in a shirt and shorts.

Fate stood up and grabbed some paper towels, failing to see the smirk on the man's face. She kneeled beside the guy and pressed it firmly against his head. The blonde was glad she hadn't been there. It would have been brutal to see Jail's group beat this guy up.

Slowly the man beside her stirred awake. "Are you okay?" Was the first question that came out of her mouth. A pained groan escaped the man as he instinctively reached for the back of his head. "Could be better. Is it bad?" He replied smiling at Fate as a way to show his appreciation for her help.

"Probably, but it's not bleeding too much. C'mon let's go get you some help." She slowly lifted the man up, glad he was almost the same size as her, she slung his right arm over her shoulder. "Are you one of them?"

"No." Fate firmly answered. She may be helping them, but she certainly didn't want to be, neither did she want to be grouped with them. Together the duo staggered out of the bathroom and into the hallway to look for some help. What surprised Fate was that no one was stationed nearby. Looking at the room labels she realized why. This was the locker room area and storage area. It must have been deemed unimportant. A decision that proved to be wrong.

*step step step.* Fate and the custodian snapped their heads to the direction of the sound. It seemed this place wasn't entirely deserted. Turning around the duo came face to face with an officer. Or rather admiral. "Fate…" "Lindy…"

Lindy rushed over embracing Fate in a tight hug. She was happy she had found Fate. Now all she had to do was stop her from doing whatever she was here for. Even if it meant tying her up and locking her in a storage closet. "I'm so glad you're okay." She took a step back to evaluate the blonde and make sure she had no injuries. It was then she noticed the guy beside Fate. "And you are…?"

"A victim of Jail's." He stated removing the paper towels from his head to show her.

"I found him in the bathroom. Jail's group beat him up there. I was originally supposed to wear his clothes to do…something. I haven't read further than that in the plan." Fate had finally made a decision. Well she made it while ago when the custodian had asked whether she was part of Jail's group or not. She was here. Nanoha was in school. If Jail wanted to hurt the brunette now, his gang would have to go through excited highschoolers participating in their Sports Festival. They would stick out like a sore thumb. They couldn't hurt Nanoha.

"Can I see the plan?" Lindy asked quickly going to grab Fate's hand…It was too late. The custodian had noticed her intent and grabbed Fate pulling her to himself. Lindy, knowing she had lost that battle, instantly went for her gun, but so did the man. His smiled widened knowing he had checkmated Admiral Lindy. Fate could only gasp in shock at what had just occurred. She struggled to get free, but the man had an iron grip.

"Lindy, Lindy, Lindy. You weren't even one foot away."

Lindy gritted her teeth. "Who are you and what do you think you're doing."

"Name's Butch and I'm following Jail's orders. You see this girl here is nothing but a little traitor. Little runt here was late for Jail's raid of the century. Now I suggest you drop your gun and stand against the wall with your hands up…or else." He pointed the gun at Fate's head.

Lindy knew what the obvious choice was. It wasn't a hard decision to make. Even if she was having doubts the look in Fate's eyes would've swayed her anyway. What hurt the most was that she had a clear shot. The guy wasn't using Fate as a shield, just a hostage. This immediately showed Lindy Jail hadn't previously planned for this. He randomly chose a guy to carry out the last-minute plan. A plan to utilise Fate against her. She wouldn't use the information she'd gather to take a shot though. It was too risky. Instead she slowly dropped the gun and raised her hands up around her head. Making her way over to the wall she started light conversation. She just needed to keep the guy talking. Perhaps he would reveal information that wasn't in Fate's plan. Info that she'd need when she got out of this situation. And she would get out of this situation.

"So I was right in believing you don't work here." She started.

"Not quite I've worked here ever since you busted Jail the last time. I just didn't follow the order for all unnecessary personal to leave. After all, I needed to give the key to Jail."

Lindy mentally rolled her eyes at the villain. They were all so predictable. Boasting about their accomplishments. Lindy focused her gaze on Fate. The fear in her eyes was very evident. Lindy tried to give her a look to reassure her. The blonde nodded in response but was still frightened. The blonde had probably never seen a real gun in her life, talk less of being a hostage. "What key is that?"

"The key to the Jewel Seed's safe. Ever since I started working here I've been creating a system to crack the code to the safe. Now all I have to do is keep you here while jail gets it."

_"And the longer you talk the less you realize that this place has security cameras."_ Lindy thought.

**At School…**

Nanoha was weaving in and out of various classrooms, looking for the blonde. Her search was beginning to become hopeless.

"Many of our city's police are gathering around Riot Force Six's base."

Nanoha poked her head into the classroom. The radio had been left on. The brunette continued in further to hear more. "They seem to be creating a barrier around the base, but they are not giving out information on why. Also Magical Lyrical Girls is coming out with an anime movie. It will be in theatres everywhere this weekend. They are projecting a 5.5million dollar profit at the least…." Nanoha dashed out of the classroom and headed to the school entrance. It made sense to her now. Lindy wasn't answering because she was probably overseeing the operation. She needed to be there now.

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**A/N: This would be my longest chapter yet. Just a little over 3000 words. I'm pretty proud of that. Anyway, one more chapter to go then an epilogue. Enjoy.**


	14. The Final Chapter, Jail's end

**A Time to Love**

_By: Revengest_

Summary: What is Nanoha to do when the one she loves might not feel the same way? And just when she decides it's time to confess, Nanoha's love interest disappears. When she comes back she has changed and brings another blue eyed brunette with her. What will Nanoha do?

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

"_Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**Thanks to all who are reading and reviewing.**

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**Chapter 14: The Final Chapter, Jail's End**

**At RF6…**

"I guess you're right. Mother had no reason to blame me that time." Butch replied thoughtfully.

The Admiral felt like a babysitter. She had started out trying to figure out the details of Jail's plan, but it had somehow transformed into dealing with Butch's childhood problems. What the heck was command center doing? She could swear they had been here for 15 solid minutes. It then dawned on her that they too had deemed this place pointless. She would have to take matters into her own hands. "That brother of yours is pretty mean for framing you that time. The way you portray him, he seems like a little angel."

"*pfft*. Angel my donkey. He got whatever he wanted and when he did something bad, mother would always label it an accident." Butch got angrier as he remembered the little runt. "It's not fair how he got treated." He waved his arms in the air emphasizing his point. "My parents constantly doted on him. It was always Rick this or Rick that or Butch, you should be a better older brother," He threw his arms in the air frustrated.

_"Bingo!"_ Lindy rushed at him using all her body weight to push him to the ground. Butch went flying releasing his gun due to the force. Lindy lunged for it and immediately pointed it at him. She looked over to see Fate getting her gun. "Well, well, well. Babysitting time's over."

Moments later Lindy and Fate had the man tied up and laying against the wall. Lindy went over to Fate and gave her a long assuring hug. "Are you okay?" She asked after a while.

"Yeah…that was kind of …kind of scary." Fate replied embracing the hug. It was exactly what she needed now. It was obvious she was a little shaky from the way she replied, but it could have been worse.

Once Lindy was sure Fate was ready to continue, she radioed command center to send someone over to get Butch. She was considering telling Fate to wait for the officer, but after what happened she figured she'd be safer with her. She was determined to get her friend's daughter back to her safely.

Lindy suddenly heard lots of commotion through her radio. "Sorry but civilians aren't allowed to enter. We are dealing with a serious situation and cannot let you pas-ah! If you kick me again I'll have you charged with police assault and interfering with police business. Hey where do you think you're going?! Kate get her!" What were they doing up front?

"I'd give you a gun, but since you don't know how to handle it, it'll be more harm than good." Lindy explained, holstering one of the guns. She continued cautiously toward the Jewel Seed. After many a hallway, they reached the safe. The lock light was orange; a signal that meant it had been opened recently. "Jail's still in there." She told Fate. "I want you to back up a little." Fate did as she was told taking a few steps back. "Do they have any guns?" Lindy asked positioning the gun at the safe for when they exited.

"They'll have at least one. There's a guy with them that always carries a gun." Lindy nodded in recognition. She then switched her radio settings so command center could hear everything and evaluate the situation to send people in if necessary.

*ssshhh (dramatic door opening with smoke)* Lindy could barely make out the figures but could clearly see the bluish-green glow of the Jewel Seed. She reasoned the person holding it would be Jail. "As a member of Uminari City Police, I order you to stop." She hollered. She aimed her gun at the Jewel Seed then a bit lower. She was sure this would be Jail's thigh meaning a painful but non-lethal shot.

"Ahh Lindy, It's so good to finally meet you face to face after so long. If I recall correctly, the last time we met would be when we were facing off at the Casino after I tried to steal some of its money."

"Yes you're right. And if I remember correctly it was my win, Jail."

"Not entirely. I wasn't put behind bars." Jail mocked. Now that the smoke cleared Lindy counted four figures. Since Fate didn't know the name of the guy who had the gun it meant it was one of the two men behind Jail and Quattro. It wasn't a great scenario, but it was okay. Now she only needed to figure out if the Jewel Seed's container was good enough.

"A mistake I shouldn't have made." Lindy paused. "Nice container you have there. Think it's safe enough?"

"Indeed I do. Oh how could I have forgotten our blonde companion." Jail smirked at Fate to which the blonde glared back.

"There should be no 'our' in that sentence. You should change it to 'your'. Fate's not a part of you gang Jail. Not now, Not ever." Lindy said with such conviction, even Jail had a hard time saying otherwise. she spoke out to him again. "Jail put the Jewel Seed down now."

"Or what?" He snapped his finger and one of the guys took out his gun. "The way I see it your outnumbered 4-2. I'm sure no matter what you do this is going to end badly for you and for Fate."

Lindy needed to think fast. She knew Jail was right. Any one of them could storm at her causing her to focus on them leaving herself and Fate open to be fired at. She needed a distraction.

*bang crash* A loud commotion was coming down the hallway and fast approaching. "Stop young woman! You don't realize the danger you're in! We're trying to protect you!" Both parties, despite the seriousness of the showdown couldn't help but turn to look down the hallway at the oncoming noise. "Hey get off me!" A feminine voice shouted. It was a voice that Fate could never mistake. Around the corner stumbled an angry Nanoha. She turned to face the police officer and delivered a very strong kick to where it hurt. Needless to say the man crumpled to the ground the only noise was of him hitting the floor, probably unconscious.

Nanoha took a moment to openly glare at him before turning her gaze to the other pursuing officers. Worried for their well-being, they each took a dozen cautious step back. The brunette smirked at her victory. Turning on her heels she was surprised to see who she had come looking for. "FATE!" Nanoha practically jumped on the blonde, not realizing the showdown that had happened. "I was so worried! I'm glad you're okay!"

Fate was completely surprised by Nanoha's presence. "What are you doing here?" The blonde asked confused.

Before Nanoha could answer, Jail coughed loudly breaking up the reunion. "Where was I?...Oh yes, you're outnumbered 4-2 or well three now, but we still have the upper hand." He smiled triumphantly.

"You seem to forget there's a whole squadron behind me." With Nanoha breaking in, a group of officers had followed her. "So I'd say we have the upperh-. Nanoha, what are you doing?" Lindy watched as Nanoha stepped forward. "Nanoha, get behind me right now."

"Fate is this the person that has been causing you trouble?"

"Yeah…"Fate replied hesitantly, "Nanoha, you need come over here this is not safe." Despite the warnings Nanoha continued forward. A dangerous aura surrounded her as she approached the other party.

"Hey!" Shouted the guy with the gun, "Stop or I'll shoot." The man aimed his gun at her.

"Shoot her and I shoot you." The man froze at that. He feared for his life as well. He was human after all. Quattro rolled her eyes at the display of weakness and decided to take matters into her own hands. She charged at Nanoha fist ready…only for it to be caught by the coming brunette. "What the…?" Quattro stated surprised at Nanoha's speed. The look that Nanoha gave her sent shivers down her spine and crumbled her resolve.

"You were helping him." Before Quattro could reply, Nanoha kneed her in the gut. The twin tailed girl fell to the floor clutching her stomach whilst gagging. The wind had been knocked right out of her.

Everybody stared in shock at what had just transpired. A simple high school girl had gotten through a whole squadron of officers, and then taken down a gang member. By now the officers had Jail surrounded. The gun man dropped his gun in defeat sticking his hands in the air. Jail frantically looked for an escape route. He would not be bested by Lindy again. In his panic he failed to notice Nanoha before it was too late.

"You've ruined every!-" Jail was silenced by a sharp slap to the face. His head snapped to the right as he fell back, releasing the Jewel Seed container. Lindy noticed the imminent danger and jumped in to grab it…she was too late. The Container smashed to pieces and the Jewel Seed rolled out.

"Everyone take cover!" There wasn't any place to hide since it was an open hallway. Everybody settled for ducking and covering their head waiting for whatever explosion Lindy was talking about. Nothing. Nothing happened. Lindy raised her head to see the Jewel Seed lying there lifelessly. Letting out a deep sigh of release she told everyone, "False alarm."

With no more danger present, Nanoha set her sights again on Jail, the cause of all this trouble. She was ready to let him have. She prepared herself to jump on him, but was abruptly caught by Fate. "Fate let me go. I need to show this guy to never mess with you again." She struggled to no avail.

Fate held her tightly. The blonde would rather hold Nanoha than to watch her manhandle Jail, as much fun as that would be. "It's okay Nanoha. I'm just glad you're safe." She punctuated her sentence with a kiss on the cheek. The kiss calmed Nanoha down and made her explode in red.

"Aaaahhhh." Everyone sang watching the scene before them. Both Nanoha and Fate blushed remembering where they were. It seemed whenever it was them, the whole world faded away.

"NO, NO, NOOOOO!" Jail screamed at the top of his lungs smashing his fist on the floor. "THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MY WIN. IT WAS PERFECT. I BLACK MAIL FATE INTO HELPING ME. I GET THE JEWEL SEED AND I GET RICH. IT WAS A SIMPLE, PERFECT PLAN. ONLY TO HAVE IT RUINED BY A STUPID GIRL." He eyed Nanoha cruelly. "I WILL NOT LOSE AGA-" Jail was silenced by a sharp kick to the head throwing him into unconsciousness.

"My foot slipped." The officer stated. It was a good thing his foot 'slipped' everyone was getting tired of his pointless ranting.

**Lindy's office 2 days later…**

"Well, now that all the paper works done, I can officially say that Jail is behind bars now and for a very long time!" Lindy exclaimed to the two occupants, Nanoha and Fate.

"That's great!" Fate replied relieved. "What about us?"

"Yes, well both of you should be charged with obstruction of justice, police assault, as well as a few other things," The teens cringed as the list grew. "but I was able to convince them otherwise. I've also pulled some strings so your names aren't mentioned either." Lindy smiled at the end. "I can talk to the school and get you an excused absence for the next two days if you need it."

"Nah. I think we'll be fine by tomorrow, right Fate?" Fate nodded in agreement

The duo shared a few more words with the admiral before taking their leave. After a summer and fall, the Jail Scaglietti Incident had finally come to a close.

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**A/N: And that concludes A Time to Love. Please enjoy the epilogue.**


	15. Epilogue, Fate and Nanoha's Confessions

**A Time to Love**

_By: Revengest_

Summary: What is Nanoha to do when the one she loves might not feel the same way? And just when she decides it's time to confess, Nanoha's love interest disappears. When she comes back she has changed and brings another blue eyed brunette with her. What will Nanoha do?

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

"_Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**Thanks to all who are reading and reviewing.**

**Chapter 15: Epilogue, Fate and Nanoha's Confessions**

A brunette waited at the corner of a street in silence. The girl carried her school bag in front of her and let the wind blow her hair creating a portrait of her face. Hearing footsteps growing louder, she turned to see Fate approaching. It had been a whole week since the JS incident. The two had decided to put the whole thing behind them, and not let it hinder their relationship.

"Ready for school, Nanoha?" Fate asked smiling and taking Nanoha's hand in hers.

"As long as you're coming with me, then yes." Nanoha smiled back.

**School…**

It was no mystery to anyone in school that two had gotten close. Real close. Most had known them since middle school and had been waiting for it to happen. Everyone was happy for them.

Well almost everybody. Hayate refused to believe it was true. During the Sports Festival, she had found out about Fate's confession, then about them both leaving school. She denied the obvious as much as she could coming up with excuses even though deep down she knew the truth. In her anger, she refused to talk Nanoha. Her friends knew it'd be a mistake to mention anything about it.

Fate had been kind about. When talking to Hayate, she wouldn't speak of Nanoha or mention where she'd gone during Sports Day. But to Hayate it was only confirmation of what had transpired.

**Drama Class…**

"Today we will be presenting our plays." Mr. Lowran stated. In the back there was a collective gasp from group 5. They hadn't finished their project at all. They had only accomplished who was playing who and about half of their story board.

While the first few groups were presenting, they whispered amongst themselves trying to get some sort of ending together. They all had to agree that their group was working better now than it ever had before. None of them wanted a bad grade on this.

"Group 5, you're up next."

The females slowly shuffled up to the front nervously. Not because of stage fright but because they weren't fully prepared. All of them were certain they were going to get a 0 for props, and maybe 1, if they were lucky, for preparation.

"We're doing a parody of Magical Lyrical Girls." Arisa introduced awkwardly. They took a few moments to get ready, trying to prolong the inevitable.

All in all, they did a pretty fair job. Their beginning was strong, and they had well thought action scenes which included invisible intelligence devices, courtesy of not being prepared. Though everyone could tell it started to fall apart at halfway. The groups only redemption was their finale, Fate being saved by Nanoha after an elaborate fight for freedom.

After the standard applause the teacher comments. "That was very...nice. Thank you."

**Lunch Time...**

"Nanoha, can we eat on the roof today?" Fate asked Nanoha at the start of lunch.

"Sure. Any reason?" Nanoha replied.

"Yeah, but it's a secret." The two were about to make their way up to the roof but were interrupted by Hayate.

"May I borrow her for a moment, Fate?" Hayate asked politely.

"Sure. I'll see you upstairs Nanoha." Fate waved back leaving the two alone in the classroom. Hayate turned to watch the blonde go smiling sadly. She really wished it was her. But she had to face reality. Fate loved Nanoha, not her.

Hayate faced Nanoha. "Congratulations."

"Thanks." Nanoha wasn't sure how to respond since this was the first time talking to Hayate in a very long time.

"I still like Fate, but I'm happy that she's happy. That being said, if you hurt her or make her sad, I'll never forgive you." Hayate stuck out her hand. "Still that doesn't mean we can't be friends."

"You're right. It doesn't." Nanoha took the hand shaking it firmly. She was glad that they could make up and that Hayate wasn't upset anymore.

After the makeup, Nanoha made her way to the roof to meet Fate. Once getting there, the brunette looked around enjoying the view. "So what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Nanoha." Fate started walking over to stand in front of the brunette. "When I transferred into middle school, it was very lonely. The school year had already started so I didn't get the chance to make friends. Then again I didn't really try. That's when you showed up. I was surprised that someone wanted to be friends with me that I didn't believe it. But you were so intent that I had to believe you. You showed me the value of true friendship. That time on the rooftop was when I first fell in love with you. Since then it has only grown. Now I want to ask you, Nanoha will you be my girlfriend?"

Nanoha was truly surprised and moved. "I thought I already said yes at the Sports Festival."

"Yeah, but that was kind of rushed and plain. This one's official." Fate laughed a at the small technicality.

"Then my answer is yes, no matter how many times you ask."

They slowly closed the gap between them embracing each other, never wanting to let go. Next Fate moved in and sealed their new relationship with a kiss. The two put all their postponed feelings into it deepening the kiss. Nanoha moved her hands around Fate's neck, while Fate tightened her grip around Nanoha's waist. Anyone could tell these two were meant for each other. After their long wait for each other it was finally their Time to Love.

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**A/N: Thank you for reading A Time to Love. It's been a pleasure to write for you.**


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